


more than a band

by JillianEmily



Series: marching band au [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Marching Band AU, Romance, friendship to romance, percabeth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:47:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25559089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JillianEmily/pseuds/JillianEmily
Summary: Annabeth plays piccolo and Percy thinks she's just another try-hard band kid and wants nothing to do with her. Or, the one where Percy and Annabeth meet on the first day of band camp and they make a promise to be each other's forever. Percabeth one-shot, Marching Band AU
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Series: marching band au [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2077491
Comments: 7
Kudos: 108





	more than a band

**Year 1**

It’s the first day of band camp and Annabeth feels slightly like she’s about to throw up.

The sun is sweltering up above, already making her skin melt and the day had barely even started. Her hands tremble against her will, and the prospect of her attending a different high school than all her other middle school friends has her feeling a bit faint of heart.

Honestly, she’s not entirely sure how she found herself in this situation in the first place. Three years ago, she decided she wanted to play the flute, and for what? To feel closer to her nonexistent mother? Great going, Annabeth.

Annabeth eyes the group of children roaming around the band room like a colony of ants from her spot underneath a tree. She contemplates just going home at this point. There are so many kids; there’s no way Annabeth is going to be able to make it through band camp, yet alone the next four years of band in its entirety.

She turns around on reflex, making a hopeful attempt to find her dad and just go home. She mentally curses when she finds him long gone, shouldering her bag carrying the supposed band camp essentials.

Her heart threatening to jump right out of her chest, she picks up the blue water jug sitting to her right as well as the case holding her instrument. The email the director had sent to the incoming freshman had said that call time was eight, and she only had fifteen minutes until then, so she deems now a good to walk in.

With a deep breath, she began the trek to the intimidating double doors that were the entrance to the band room, dodging the group of kids playing football as they nearly trampled her.

Before Annabeth could even reach towards the handle to pull the door open, it swings at her forcefully, barely missing smacking her in the face with the metal door. Annabeth takes a step back on instinct, scrambling to hold onto the things in her hand that she had nearly dropped.

A friendly-looking girl held the door open for Annabeth, giving her a pearly while smile.

“Hi! I’m Silena, your drum major. What’s your name?”

Annabeth shoulders her black backpack again. “I’m Annabeth.”

Silena nods, the smile never fading from her face. Annabeth thinks she might be broken because the way she was smiling was a bit excessive. “Well, Annabeth, what do you play?”

“Uh– flute?”

Silena nodded, looking over her shoulder and grabbing someone passing by the upper arm. “Well, Annabeth, I’m going to hand you over to your woodwind captain who will help you out from there.” Without any further explanation, Silena flounces away, leaving Annabeth alone with this guy who looks just as bewildered as her.

The guy gets over his confusion much faster than Annabeth, extending an arm towards her in greeting. “You must be a woodwind. I’m Percy, woodwind captain.”

Annabeth’s eyes fall to his blue shirt that has his first name written on the upper right portion before moving back to his face. He had green eyes that seemed friendly enough, so she might as well introduce herself to him. “I’m Annabeth. I play flute,” she responds, accepting his hand.

“You’re a freshman?”

Annabeth nodded, an embarrassed flush spreading across her cheeks. She’d heard about how upperclassmen thought freshman were annoying, and she really didn’t want to be like that, but then trying not to be annoying would make her just like every other freshman, thus ruining her goal. It was a trap. “I am.”

Percy hums in acknowledgement. “Well, I’m just going to have you follow me, and I’ll introduce you to your section leader and help you get a nametag.”

Annabeth nods awkwardly, not entirely sure what else there is to say. Thankfully, Percy continues the conversation for her.

“So,” he starts, leading her across the large expanse of the band room. “I play saxophone and I’m a sophomore.”

Annabeth bites down on her lip. “You’re only a sophomore and woodwind captain already?”

Percy gives her a lopsided smile. “Sure am. I’m pretty good at what I do, you know.” He stops at a wooden table located right in front of the director’s podium and picks up a blank white sticker and a black sharpie. “Just write your name, instrument, and class.”

Annabeth grabs the sharpie. “Class?”

“Like the year you graduate. You’re a freshman, so I’m pretty sure you’re class of 2021.”

Annabeth doesn’t respond. Instead, she bends down to neatly write the given information and then sticks it to her shirt like all the other kids had done. When she looks up, Percy is turned around and talking to a green-eyed and red-haired girl. Annabeth can see the back of his shirt with the words _Woodwind Captain_ splayed across his broad back.

He turns back around a few seconds later, resting his hand on the lower back of the girl beside him. “This is Rachel; she’s your section leader and will be helping you out for this year.” Percy smiles at the girl sweetly, and Annabeth felt like she was interrupting a moment. “I’ve got to go, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask either Rachel or I.”

Annabeth nods wordlessly, reading the chemistry between the two. They didn’t seem to be dating, but they certainly seemed to be getting close. Even Annabeth, who wasn’t the best with social cues, could see Rachel’s slight waver in demeanor as her face flushed red.

Percy departs with a final wave and call over his shoulder. “Nice meeting you!”

Annabeth waves back cordially, facing her body towards her section leader. She was getting dizzy with all this hopping around from person to person.

Rachel beams. “As Percy said, I’m Rachel! I’m so glad to have you here! Come on, I’ll introduce you to the rest of the flutes, and you can set up there.”

Rachel leads Annabeth to a corner that holds about eight other girls and one guy hanging around hesitantly. “These are the rest of the flutes, and I don’t think we’ll be getting any more, so this is it.” Rachel points to a spot next to another girl with choppy brown hair in two separate braids. “You can set your stuff down next to Piper over there. You’re the same grade, so it’ll be nice for you to have a buddy.”

Rachel disappears to go find someone else, so Annabeth sits down next to the other girl and opens her case like everyone else around her. Annabeth grabs the silver head joint with the gold mouthpiece out of her case and pushes it into the body of her flute. She connects the foot joint with the rest of the flute (and it has a low Bb key; Annabeth supposes she has _something_ to thank her dad for besides throwing her to the wolves that were band kids).

Annabeth can feel the eyes of the girl, Piper, burning on the side of her face. Annabeth tries to work up the courage to say something, but Piper beats her to it.

“So,” Piper began, leaning forwards to speak quietly. “You don’t seem to want to be here very much.”

Annabeth shuts her case sharply. “Does anyone?”

Piper shrugs, leaning back. “I doubt it. I wouldn’t be here except for the fact that I like concert band. If I could do concert band without marching band, I would. Unfortunately, some dumbass decided to mush them together, and now I’m stuck in this sweltering heat learning to march like I’m in the army.”

Annabeth tilts her head. “I don’t think it’s similar to marching in the army, like, at all.”

“Same difference. Anyways, now that we’re friends, do you have sunblock I could borrow?”

Annabeth looks appalled. This was — not was she expected. “Complaining to me makes us friends?”

Piper tugs on Annabeth’s ponytail. “You seem too shy to have a proper conversation right now, so yes, I’d like to think so.”

Annabeth gently removes Piper’s hands from her hair. She wasn’t a really big fan of strangers touching her, or anyone really. “I guess I have to be your friend now.”

Piper claps once. “You do! Now, sunblock?”

Annabeth rolls her eyes where Piper can’t see her and unzips her bag to pull the spray out. “It’s SPF 100.”

Piper raises an eyebrow, grabbing the spray as Annabeth offers it to her. “You do not mess around.”

“Skin cancer is no joke.”

“I can see that.” Piper stands up and purposefully cracks her back. “Thanks for the sunblock. Watch my stuff?”

“Yeah.” Annabeth sets her flute down in front of her and continues to rummage through her bag as Piper stalks off. She mentally checks off the sunglasses, flip folder filled with stand tunes ahead of time, pencils, sunblock, and a hat off of her list. Everything was exactly as it should be.

Annabeth zips her bag up and sets it against the wall where all the other flutes had put their stuff. She grasps her flute in her hand, and Piper’s as well, as she moves out of the way of the careless upperclassmen that almost ran her over for the second time that day.

She kind of stands around for the next few minutes, entirely unsure of what she’s supposed to be doing right now. Fortunately, Piper returns to Annabeth, taking her flute from Annabeth’s hands, so Annabeth doesn’t have to be confused by herself.

“Thanks,” Piper said, giving the sunblock back to Annabeth. “Do you need to put it on?”

Annabeth shakes her head, bending down to put the sunblock back in her bag. “I put it on before I got here.”

Piper clicks her tongue. “Smart.”

Annabeth sighs, standing up again and eyeing the rest of the kids just standing around and talking. It was pretty easy to pinpoint the newbies because they kind of just stood stiffly, and she knows she probably looks the exact same. “Do you know what we’re supposed to be doing?”

“Not a clue.”

Annabeth crosses her arms, the air conditioning in the room rather strong. “Today’s off to a great start.”

“A mess of confusion and nerves? Best day ever.”

The two stand around for a few more minutes, and Annabeth finds that Piper is actually really easy to talk to. Her personality was just so out there, and although it wasn’t Annabeth’s typical friend-type, it made her feel a bit more relaxed.

Together, they ended up exchanging snide remarks about the other freshman around them. There was some guy carrying around a trumpet, his nametag reading Octavian, and he was just _weird_. He had on shorts that were really short, and when he moves, Annabeth swears she saw something sticking out of the bottom. Every time he lifted a leg, which was a lot (what was he even doing?), it just got worse, so Annabeth is very thankful for the buff guy that begins clapping like a seal loudly at the front of the room.

Annabeth isn’t sure what just happened, but she’s assuming she’s supposed to stay silent as the guy talks. That’s what everyone else does, anyways. Rachel slides in next to Annabeth silently as the guy starts talking.

“Hey, everyone. I’m Charles Beckendorf, and for those that don’t know me, everyone just calls me Beckendorf. I’m your senior drum major for this year, and I’m excited to be working with you guys this year. We’re going to do an icebreaker now, so everyone come stand in a giant circle. Leave your instruments.”

Beckendorf moves to stand on a small podium as everyone begins the formation of the circle. “We’re going to be playing _fruit salad_. One person is going to go to the middle and say their name and one thing about them. If someone else has that same thing about them, they have to switch spots with someone else in the circle. The last person to be in the circle has to say something next.”

Annabeth sets her instrument down with everyone else and stands next to Piper in the circle. Piper, being an obvious extrovert, swings an arm around Annabeth’s shoulder casually. Annabeth doesn’t even bother to take it off seeing as Piper would probably just do it again.

“If someone goes to the middle and yells fruit salad, everyone has to switch spots. Got it?”

There was a chorus of _got_ _it’s_ thrown back at Beckendorf. Annabeth learns pretty quickly that she’s supposed to verbally respond when a drum major, or anyone on leadership, asks something of the entire band.

Beckendorf smacks his hands together. “Percy, why don’t you start us off?”

Percy groans from where he stood in the circle leaning against Rachel’s shoulder. “If I must,” he replies jokingly.

He forces his way into the circle and trots to the middle. He looks around for a second and his eyes fall on Annabeth. Annabeth suddenly feels very self-conscious in her white t-shirt and black athletic shorts as his eyes subtly run up and down her body.

“I’m Percy Jackson and I’m at band camp.”

Chaos ensues.

* * *

Annabeth’s not even through her first day and she wants to _die._

Annabeth’s being forced to stand with her section at attention with her instrument, and she has been for the past ten minutes. She swears there’s a bug crawling up her leg, but she isn’t allowed to move or else she’ll reset the time for the entire band. She does not want to be _that_ freshman, even though whatever’s on her has started to bite, so she stands still.

Annabeth’s arms hurt as she holds her flute at set, so she doesn’t even want to imagine how the sousaphones must be feeling right about now. All she has to do is hold her instrument vertically in front of her with her left arm parallel to the ground and the right one down by her side; it’s not like it’s particularly hard so she doesn’t know how something so easy could hurt so much.

Annabeth jumps when Percy walks behind her, setting a hand on her lower back to correct her stance. His touch is feather-light, just barely grazing over her skin. Goosebumps form on her neck, despite the sun above, and she really hopes her shirt wasn’t completely soaked with sweat.  
  
“Try to stand strong but don’t get too stiff. Imagine there’s a line going straight through you from head to toe,” he whispers in her ear, and his voice — Annabeth doesn’t usually get excited by things like a guy’s voice, but _good lord_ …

His fingers trail over her waist, and she has to fight the urge to squirm, before he saunters over to help one of the clarinets failing miserably to stand at set. Annabeth finally releases a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

After what feels like another hour, Beckendorf tells everyone to relax, and there’s an audible groan that ripples throughout the band. Annabeth drops her instrument to her side, adjusting her hat with her unoccupied hand. Annabeth absolutely despises hats, but it was the better option than passing out in the New York heat.

Eventually, Beckendorf gives the band a five-minute water break, and Annabeth just about cries tears of joy. It could’ve been sweat too — she isn’t sure anymore.

She walks over to her blue water jug that’s sitting underneath a tarp that did little to block the sun. Once she finds the jug with her name printed on the side, she swings it open to take a few chugs of icy water, despite the director telling everyone to drink slowly.

As Annabeth’s at her most unattractive, covered in sweat and greedily drinking water, Percy appears next to her again. Why did it have to be her, out of all the woodwinds?

“How’s your first day?” he asks her, unscrewing the top of his water jug carefully.

Annabeth doesn’t stop hugging her water protectively. “Perfect,” she deadpans.

He laughs. “The first day is always the hardest. It gets better, I promise.”

“Why do we need three weeks of this torture again?”

Percy shrugs, chomping down on ice. “In my opinion, we don’t. We really only need two at most, but the director wants three, so.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Percy nods, and his head snaps over to where one of the drum majors blows a whistle to signify the end of the water break.

“Already?” Annabeth whines, setting her water down.

“Five minutes is almost never five minutes,” Percy says, following her in putting the water down. “But it just means we’re one step closer to going home. Now, you ready to learn the actual marching now?”

“I’m ready to go home and have a mental breakdown,” she says.

“Don’t worry,” Percy says. “It’s not that bad. Besides, I’ll be there to help you if you need it.”

Her mind flashes back to the way his fingers had danced over her skin, and the way it had been so intimate. She wonders if he does that to every woodwind he goes to help, and then she can feel her face redden as she finds herself hoping he doesn’t.

Annabeth _definitely_ wants to die.

* * *

By the end of the day, after the boring sectionals and never-ending group practice, Annabeth is ready to take a nap.

Her brain had just learned the different commands, ways of marching, how to read dots, and memorized _four movements of music_. Her brain could handle no more.

The band director, a relatively old-looking guy named Chiron Brunner, had just dismissed the group of over 130 students and Annabeth was the first out the door.

Piper was walking alongside Annabeth, complaining about how difficult the day had been as though Annabeth wasn’t there to witness it herself.

“And those seniors! I mean, what’s their problem? I didn’t even do anything but ask a question, and they ignored me! Blatantly!”

Annabeth sits on a bench outside the band room as she waits for her dad to pick her up. “Try having the senior flutes on your back the entire day.”

Piper pauses in her seething. “What did you do?”

Annabeth tilts her head. “We you not there the whole day?”

“Oh, I was, but I was too busy being absorbed in my own world to notice. What happened?”

“They’re mad that I took second chair. The seniors think they should be above a freshman, but it’s not my fault that I can actually play my twelve major scales!”

“ _Burn_.”

Annabeth waves her hands wildly, getting absorbed in the frustration. “That Drew chick, the piccolo player, actually told me that I could throw my instrument into a blender and it would still make a better sound than anything I could do.”

Piper snorts. “Says Drew. Did you hear the way she played? Couldn’t even reach above a high G. _Pathetic_.”

Annabeth throws her head back laughing. “How did Drew even get on piccolo? Don’t you have to know how to play flute first?”

“Probably slept with someone, honestly. Heard some people saying she’s had sex with, like, half the teachers.”

Annabeth’s eye twitches, and when she speaks, her voice is strangled. “That’ll _illegal_.”

“Something tells me Drew wouldn’t care. Anything that’ll fit, she’ll be willing to hop on.”

“Imagine going through all the work of getting your director to let you play piccolo, and you can’t even reach above a G. Must be mortifying.”

“I’ve never met a piccolo player who wasn’t a little shit.”

“That’s not very nice,” Percy breaks in from over Annabeth’s shoulder, appearing from seemingly nowhere. “My best friend plays picc.”

Annabeth stutters, because of course he would choose this moment to join in. She doesn’t even know why he keeps coming to talk to her, because as far as she’d noticed, he hadn’t done it with anyone else. “We – we weren’t talking about Rachel.”

Percy settles down next to Annabeth. “I know. You were talking about Drew, weren’t you?”

Piper holds up a peace sign and books it out of there before they got in trouble with their captain. Annabeth wants to punch her.

“Uh…”

Percy bumps her shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m the one who put her on piccolo anyways, though I’m starting to regret the decision.”

“I shouldn’t have said anything,” Annabeth interjects, not really feeling like having a conversation with him about this.

“Drew’s just an interesting case,” he continues. “She applied for woodwind captain this year and wasn’t very happy when a sophomore got it over a senior, so Chiron wanted me to put her on piccolo to appease her, I guess.”

“That’s how World War II started.”

“I don’t think that’s quite how it started.”

“I mean the appeasement part.”

“I suppose. Anyways, I just came over to tell you that you did a good job today. You have a lot of potential in this band, and who knows? Keep this up, and you might be woodwind captain next year.”

Annabeth’s eyes beam at the praise. “But wouldn’t you be captain?”

Percy clicks his tongue. “I have, ah, bigger goals,” he says quietly, elbowing her gently.

“Drum major?” Annabeth whispers back.

Percy nods.

“Is it a secret?” Annabeth asks, unsure of why he suddenly got quiet.

“I just haven’t told anyone yet. I have a lot of competition for it.”

Annabeth’s eyes go wide. “You do realize that the first person you told is a freshman? Why would you do that?”

Percy bumps her shoulder gently again. “You’re my friend, of course.”

“You’re not a freshman.”

“I was two months ago,” he points out. “Besides, I don’t get why so many upperclassmen are against the freshman.”

“You’re the first upperclassman to not completely despise me.”

“I definitely don’t think that’s true. You’re one of the better ones.” Percy stands up and grabs his case that was by his feet. “Anyways, my ride is here.”

“Don’t let me keep you,” she says.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Annabeth,” Percy says with a dazzling smile.

“Bye, Percy.”

Annabeth watches Percy’s retreating form and can’t help but smile. He was extremely nice to her and made her feel welcome to the band. He seemed to actually want to be her friend, which she definitely hadn’t been expecting, but it was a nice thought.

Maybe band camp wouldn’t be quite so bad after all.

* * *

A few weeks into the school year, Annabeth was sitting in her arc after school on Friday, struggling to put her uniform on. She already managed to drag her feet through the black bibbers and shrug her heavy jacket on over it, but she couldn’t get the zipper in the back of it.

Annabeth reaches up behind her back and attempts to drag the zipper up her back, but she’s failing miserably. She looks around for Piper to ask her to zip her up, but Piper was still standing in line for her uniform, meaning Annabeth was on her own.

Annabeth drops her hands to her side, giving up on putting her uniform on until Piper could help her. Just as she drops her hands, someone was brushing her hair to the side and clipping the top of the jacket together.

Annabeth looks to the side and spots Percy already in his uniform. He grabs the bottom of her jacket and zips it up gently, moving her hair back to where it was laying. The way he was so careful not to get her hair stuck in the clip was a nice touch, seeing as Piper never cared.

“There you go,” he says, tugging on her ponytail teasingly and watching her curls bob up and down. “Need help with your gauntlets?”

“Please,” Annabeth says, handing him the gauntlets.

Annabeth tightened her left sleeve and held it so Percy could secure the velcro around her small wrists. She repeated it with her right sleeve, twisting it until it was in its proper placement.

“Thank you,” Annabeth says earnestly.

“Of course. You have everything you need?”

“As always,” she teases.

Percy tugs her hair again, a little rougher than before but still light enough to be playful. “I don’t see your gloves.”

Annabeth shucks her jacket up and pulls it out of the bibber’s inside pocket, waving the fingerless gloves in his face. “Right here,” she says. “You do this every time.”

“Just looking for an excuse to talk to you,” he replies, winking.

“Shut up,” Annabeth breathes dramatically. “Go do something useful.”

“I am doing something useful.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

“Making you smile,” he says, poking her nose.

She scrunches her nose, shaking him away. “You disgust me.”

“I don’t.”

“Go flirt with your girlfriend.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he corrects.

“She might as well be,” Annabeth says, sitting down in her spot in the arcs while people around her got dressed.

Percy sits down next to her. “What makes you think that?”

Annabeth raises an eyebrow, putting her gloves on as she does so. “Remember the first day of band camp?”

“I do. What about it?”

“You and Rachel were all over each other.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“Painfully.”

Percy scratches his neck. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, Rachel and I… we aren’t dating. That’s all I’ll say.”

She stares at him doubtfully.

“We aren’t.” Percy shifts from his position on the floor. “Let’s change the subject now. You excited for the game?”

“Hell yeah. We finally finished fourth movement.”

“Four movements of Disney were not fun to learn.”

“I think it’s a pretty cool show. I mean, we have Frozen, Mulan, Tangled, and The Lion King. You couldn’t ask for a better show.”

“I guess.” Percy looks around, and the band room was still loud with five trumpets screaming and a group of baritones doing something that looked suspiciously like sacrificing a flute. “I think a flute may be dying.”

“You’re captain. Go fix it.”

“I don’t feel like it.”

“We have so many flutes that I doubt anyone will notice. If we’re lucky, it’ll be Drew.”

“I love your morals.”

“Right?” Annabeth leaned back on the band room carpet, trying not to think about how much spit was probably soaked into the floor.

“I also love that you’re so nice that you’re going to let me take a nap on you,” Percy says hopefully.

She snorts. “I give you props for trying.”

“Please?” he whines, pressing his hands together in a pleading gesture.

“We’re about to have inspection; you don’t have any _time_ to sleep.”

“You doubt my abilities.”

“Fine,” Annabeth relents, patting her thigh. “You have five minutes.”

“Thank you,” Percy groans, immediately dropping to the ground. “I’m so tired.”

“You have a long day still. It’s an away game.”

Percy’s eyes are already closed. “Which is why it’s nap time.”

Annabeth smirks and runs her fingers through his hair. She tries to ignore the way her heart pounds and her stomach flutters as Percy cuddles against her. They’d become pretty close over the past few weeks, so this stuff wasn’t totally unusual anymore to her anymore, which was both a relief and also just confusing.

The craziness of the band room continues on for the next fifteen minutes, and Percy somehow manages to sleep through it all. Someone ended up spilling a giant bottle of coke all over the carpet, which caused an appropriate amount of screaming from the band director, none of which Percy heard.

Two lost instruments and one dropped drum later, Beckendorf accosts the front of the room and calls everyone to attention. Annabeth nudges Percy awake as she stands up and goes to set.

Percy stays on the ground as he blinks awake, taking his chances with getting called out in front of everyone. You gotta pick your battles sometimes.

“We’re running late, so everyone make sure you have your stand tunes and cases. Don’t forget your shakos! Section leaders, please run inspection quickly so we can get on the buses and head on out.” Beckendorf motions for everyone to relax with his arm, and Annabeth could tell he was stressed from his rushed words and the hint of panic in his voice.

Percy slumps back onto the ground. “I don’t want to go.”

Annabeth shrugs. “You gotta.”

“What bus are you on?”

“Bus two.”

“Ew, you’re with percussion. That’s disgusting.”

“Don’t remind me. They never stop screaming or banging on the seats.”

“Banging…?”

“As in hitting the seats,” she corrects.

Percy snorts and stands up off the ground to lean onto Annabeth, putting his chin on her shoulder and closing his eyes. “I’ll fall asleep like this.”

“You better not.”

“I will.”

“People are staring, Percy.”

Percy nestles closer against her shoulder. “Why would they stare?”

“Everyone knows you and Rachel are unofficially official.”

Percy lifts his head. “That’s–”

“True?”

“Exaggerated.” Percy sets his head back down.

“ _Wussy_.”

“What was that?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Percy’s arms that had been wrapped around her waist squeeze her in warning. It was just then that Rachel decides to walk up and catch Percy snuggled up against Annabeth.

“What are you guys doing?” she says, voice filled with faux humor, but Annabeth also catches an underlying sharpness to the question. She isn’t sure Percy would be able to detect it, but Annabeth sure could.

Percy meets Rachel’s eyes. “Nothing.”

Annabeth flushes. Rachel’s green eyes match the envy Annabeth can feel radiating off of Rachel.

Rachel catches her words. “Uh, Annabeth. Do you have your black socks on and the show shirt?”

Annabeth nods, lifting her bibber pants to show the socks sticking out against her dinkles. Percy is still nestled comfortably against Annabeth’s shoulders.

Rachel shoots a last glance at Annabeth, and Annabeth knows she wants Percy to move but knows it’s not her place, before moving on to the next flute. 

Once she’s out of earshot, Annabeth shrugs Percy’s head off of her. “Don’t put me between you two, please.”

Percy straightens. “I wasn’t trying to.”

“That was so awkward.”

“It was not,” he reassures her.

Within the next minute, Silena dismisses the woodwinds to the buses, so Percy and Annabeth grab their respective and shako boxes, carrying a drawstring bag with the rest of things needed for the football game. Only Annabeth carried her case seeing as Percy put his on the band trailer.

“Are you on bus two?” Annabeth asks as Percy doesn’t move to another bus once they walk outside together.

“Yep,” he says, popping the p. “I signed up this morning.”

“You were literally making fun of me for being on bus two like five minutes ago.”

“I was just messing with you.”

“You were being mean.”

“I would never be mean to my favorite person,” he says. Annabeth’s put off for a second, not expecting that in the slightest.

“You just were,” she manages.

Percy doesn’t answer. He instead follows Annabeth onto the bus and surprised her even more as he settled in next to her in the middle of the bus.

“You’re sitting with me?”

“Is that okay?”

“Boys and girls aren’t allowed to sit together. ‘ _No purpling_ ,’ remember?”

“I’ve always hated that phrase.” Percy leans against the seat. “No one actually cares about that rule. Brunner just says it to cover his ass.”

Annabeth flicks his nose. “If I get in trouble, I’m blaming you.”

“I’ll take full responsibility if that happens. Also, ow, why did you flick me?”

“I felt like it.”

“You suck.” Percy sets his head against her. “I sat with you to continue my nap. Can I please?”

Annabeth rested her hand on his cheek. “Fine, but you have to stay awake for attendance first.”

“Deal.”

Percy, in fact, did not stay awake for attendance, which left Annabeth to call out ‘Here!’ for him. Annabeth finds that she doesn’t mind all that much because he was pretty adorable when he was asleep. Especially when she finds out that he drools and realizes that could be her very own form of blackmail.

Annabeth feels warm and fuzzy inside at the thought. She pretends to not notice Rachel burning holes into the back of her head.




“You okay?” Percy whispers into her ear so no one else could hear him. “You look like you’re about to throw up.”

“I feel like I’m about to throw up,” she says. She was shaking with nerves because it was the day of concert MPA and she had to perform a solo. To makes things worse, it wasn’t even _her_ solo.

Drew had apparently taken suddenly ill, which gave Annabeth about two days to teach herself to play the piccolo. It would’ve made more since to pass the part down to the next oldest person since they would’ve been playing the longest, but Chiron had insisted that Annabeth had it because she was the next highest chair.

It might not have been so bad if it hadn’t been for the fact that the song had four different piccolo solos, two of which went to her and the other two went to Rachel. She had to play by herself twice, and Percy’s best friend/girlfriend/whatever-she-was would be sitting there judging her as she did it.

Not to mention, piccolos didn’t tune, like, at all.

It was really a mess waiting to happen. Annabeth had practiced every waking hour, and Chiron assured her she sounded fine, but someone didn’t just play a piccolo for two days and sound _fine_. It was hard to get a sound out, and the notes were so high it hurt her ears, and she just wasn’t ready to let the entire band down when she accidently squeaked on it like she was a freaking clarinet in an auditorium full of people judging her.

“I can’t tell if you’re kidding,” Percy whispers back. “You actually look like you need to go to the bathroom.”

Annabeth swallowed roughly, trying to force the bile back down. This really wasn’t good because she absolutely could not throw up all over her black concert dress, which is exactly where this seemed to be going. “I —”

“Seriously, Annabeth, you’re scaring me.” Percy held the gold saxophone in one hand to press into her lower back with the other. “You’re going to get sick?”

Annabeth can only meekly nod, the bubbling inside of her growing exponentially. She was scared if she opened her mouth at this point, she’d be making a pretty big mess all over herself and anyone around her.

Percy doesn’t hesitate to grab her flute and piccolo in his free hand and her music folder with his other before pushing her off in the direction of the bathroom, calling out after her that he’ll tell Brunner where she went.

Annabeth doesn’t run down the hall because she doesn’t want to attract attention, but she walks as fast as she can without her legs getting caught on the floor-length fabric of her dress. She almost resorts to hunching over a trashcan because she can’t find the bathroom, but it finally comes into sight. By that point, she does end up running, slamming the stall shut before she’s heaving over the toilet, her eyes shut tight.

There’s no way she’s going to be able to perform — it was just too much pressure on too short of notice. She just feels so dizzy and her vision is spotty, and she just really wants to cry.

Of course, she’s smart enough to know that she spent quite a while in that bathroom, trying to stop anything else from coming out of her throat. When she’d left, she only had about fifteen minutes before it was their performance time, and she had to have spent at least five minutes, if not more, in the bathroom, so she forces herself to stand straight, wiping her mouth and working her way out of the stall to wash her hands.

When she walks back out of the bathroom, she’s surprised to find Percy standing there leaning against the wall, a water bottle in hand. He must’ve heard her approaching because he looked up from the floor as she got close, wordlessly holding out the water for her.

“Are you okay?” he asked, watching her shakily unscrew the water and take a few hesitant sips.

Annabeth just nods again, though her face says the opposite.

“Did you…?”

“Yeah,” she says, putting the cap on the water bottle.

“Are you going to be able to play?”

“Please stop,” she says, not wanting to talk about it, because it only made it more real than it already was. “I’m already nervous enough.”

“I’m just worried,” he says. “I want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine,” she says. Even she doesn’t believe herself. “I don’t really have a choice because I have to play soon.”

Percy just tilts his head, looking at her sympathetically, before he’s pulling her in for a hug. One hand goes to cup the back of her head and press her against his chest, and she feels so warm in his embrace. The other hand wraps around her slim waist, and Annabeth notices in the back of her mind how they fit like a puzzle piece.

“I’m sorry,” he mutters. “This sucks.”

“It’s not your fault,” she says, voice small.

“We’re on in five minutes,” he tells her before pulling away. “You think you can manage?”

“I’m gonna have to.”

Percy gives her a soft smile and takes her hand, leading her back through the halls to their group. Annabeth’s body is still trembling, but she’s going to have to knock it off soon or else it’ll be obvious in her playing.

When they get back, Annabeth is handed her instruments by Piper, who knew better than to ask if she was okay. It was pretty obvious that she wasn’t.

Annabeth’s back at the front of the line with Percy, leaning her back against the cool wall and her shoulder against Percy. Percy just wraps an arm around her and lets her rest her head against him.

“Annabeth!” Brunner calls from somewhere down the hall. “Are we all good now?”

She just gives him a thumbs up sign.

The entire group is antsy for the next few minutes as they waited for their band to be called to the stage. They’d been working for months on perfecting their three movements because they really wanted straight superiors — they couldn’t break the schools streak of straight superiors for the past ten years now.

From beside her, Percy pokes her cheek as her eyes flutter closed to calm herself. “You’re going to do great.”

“Percy,” she whines.

“Don’t worry too much about it,” he says. “I know you’re freaking out inside—“

“No shit.”

“—but it’s not as bad as you think. I don’t think you’re going to mess up, because you haven’t messed up the last few times we ran it through, but even if you did, do you think anyone would care?”

“ _I_ care.”

“Yeah, but you’re your harshest critic. No one else will even be listening in the auditorium — they’re too wrapped up in their own worlds to notice a tiny mistake you may or may not make.”

“Everyone will be so mad.”

“I can assure you that everyone will probably make a mistake at some point. They’ll be so mad at themselves that they won’t have time to criticize you.”

“And the band director?” she challenges. There was no way she could make a mistake in a solo and not get called out for it.

“No one’s going to like you any less if you mess up,” he promises. “Do you know how many times he’s heard people screw up during a concert? Besides, he understands your situation. He’s not going to rub it in your face if you do make a mistake.”

“Why did Drew have to get sick?”

Percy snorts. “That’s another thing. It was Drew who was going to be playing the solos. You’re an upgrade from that.”

“Do you think so?”

“I know so,” he says.

“Will you be mad at me if I mess up, Mr. Woodwind Captain?”

“I won’t love you any less if you mess up,” he says.

“Aww, you love me?” she says, trying to distract herself with anything that wasn’t about MPA.

“Of course I do,” he answers. “You’re my best friend.”

Annabeth turns to face him. “I’m scared,” she confesses pointlessly. He definitely already knew that.

Percy just wraps one arm around her in a hug again, and his instrument presses painfully into her stomach, but she doesn’t care too much because in his arms, she feels nothing but comfort, even if it was only temporary. “I know, but you’ll be okay.”

And then the group is being called onto stage, and Annabeth is finding her seat beside Rachel. She tries not to look out into the crowd because it only makes her nerves flare up more. The light overhead is near blinding, but maybe it’s for the best because it’s preventing her from seeing anything except the music on the stand in front of her.

She rests her instruments horizontally in her lap as everyone around her gets situated. The band director is helping some of the low brass, so Annabeth just wrings her fingers together in an attempt to stop the involuntary shudders.

It wasn’t working very well as her leg started to bounce up and down, and she was getting ready to have a panic attack now, but then someone was reaching forward to rest their palm on her knee.

She turns around and catches Percy looking at her, his eyes gleaming and trying to pour as much comfort into her as he can. He’s sitting on the edge of the row behind her, directly behind Rachel, so he only has to reach diagonally for Annabeth. It makes her feel better knowing that he was right there with her.

Once her leg stopped bouncing from the press of his hand, his hand reaches for her hand, his fingers sliding around hers and squeezing. She can’t hear him over the shuffle of bodies on stage, but she catches his words anyways as he tells her _, you’ll be okay_.

The second his hand is gone, she longs for him again. Annabeth just needs one more comforting glance or brushing graze of his hand, but by that point, the director is already stepping onto the podium and everyone is sitting straight.

As Chiron lifts the baton in his hands and everyone takes a full breath of air, Annabeth forces herself to push all other worries out the window. Right now, she needed to focus on performing her best, and yeah, she was probably going to end up throwing up again afterwards, but for now, she just needed to get through this.

* * *

Annabeth is very proud to say that she didn’t feel the need to cry after performing.

Every note came out so smoothly and flawless, and she hadn’t been out of tune in the slightest, which was a feat in itself. Everything had just been perfect, and she had managed to stop the nerves from taking over as she played, and just —

It was flawless.

She’s pretty proud of that if she did say so herself. Two days and she taught herself to play piccolo. If she could do that, she’s pretty sure she can do anything.

From then on out, things had moved pretty fast, so she didn’t get the chance to talk to Percy afterwards, being rushed to the room for sight reading.

Sight reading had gone phenomenal as well, or at least that was what she had gathered from it. She honestly doesn’t know why she had been so freaked out because that was honestly the best she’d probably played _ever_.

And when they were walking out of sight reading, pleased with their performance and the judge’s comments, Percy was the first one by her side.

“You did so great!” he says, pulling her in for a side hug. “I’m so proud of you.”

“You think so?” she asks against his shoulder. “I didn’t sound nervous?”

“You sounded so much better than Drew,” he says. “I have to admit, that vibrato was pretty nice.”

“I think it was just me shaking,” she jokes. “But thanks.”

“Regardless, you did amazing.” The next thing she knew, Percy was quickly pressing a kiss to her cheek before pulling away as though nothing had happened, leaving Annabeth a stuttering mess. “We should go do something tonight.”

Annabeth’s sure her face is red as a tomato. “Yeah? Like what?”

“Come on over,” he says. “Mom’s making cookies and I’m sure she’d love for you to come.”

“Who else will be there?” Annabeth shifts her instruments being held in only one hand as they follow the group back towards where they’d placed their cases.

“Oh, uh — just us.”

“Really?” Annabeth could barely hide the surprise in her voice.

“Is that okay?”

“No, that’s fine,” she assures, a smile sprouting onto her face. Usually whenever they would do something together, he would always invite someone else, and she figures it was because he didn’t want to be alone with her and start rumors, but maybe that wasn’t the case after all. “Let’s do it.”

* * *

Eventually the end of the school year does roll around. The seniors get ready to say goodbye, and the underclassmen get ready to step into their rolls.

Annabeth had spent the last few weeks practicing conducting with Percy. He had practically begged her to audition for the role of woodwind captain so he could audition for drum major. Annabeth was sure Percy would get the position — he was the best fit for it. He always attended the rehearsals and he wanted to pursue music, so of course he deserved the spot.

Percy had also assured Annabeth that she’d get the position as woodwind captain, and she could do nothing but hope. It would be pretty embarrassing if she didn’t get it, so she was just a tad bit nervous as the band sat down to hear the final decisions.

She personally thinks she conducted the best out of all the candidates for the same spot. The National Anthem was amazing, and she even managed the subdivisions at the end. The tempos for the stand tunes were on point, and everything was just the best. She never did anything except the best.

However, as the band director began talking, all those thoughts flew from her mind. She could only think of the mistakes she might’ve made. Maybe she said the wrong thing in the interview, or they didn’t think that she did well enough during marching season to teach the incoming freshmen.

There were so many things that could’ve gone wrong, and she just hopes now more than ever that she did as well as she thought.

“I suppose we’ll start with the drum majors,” Chiron says as he steps up onto the podium, a list of names in his hands.

Annabeth immediately leans forwards, and Percy squeezes her wrist in anticipation.

“This year, we’ve ended up with only two drum majors. There were many amazing candidates, but two stood out the most.”

Annabeth shook Percy’s hand that had managed to find hers. She could tell he was really tense because he had wanted this for a really long time.

“Congratulations to Percy Jackson and Rachel Dare.”

As clapping broke out around them, Percy’s first instinct was to look at her and smile. Her heart warmed for him; he really deserved this, and she was so proud of him.

“Let’s move onto our captains,” Chiron says, reading from his list. “Drum captain will be Frank Zhang.”

Annabeth mindlessly clapped, really just wanting to know whether or not she was chosen. As horrible as it sounds, she really doesn’t care for the other captains.

“Brass captain is Jason Grace,” he continues.

More clapping but Annabeth only inwardly groans.

“And our woodwind captain will be —”

Annabeth bit her lip, because she might actually end up crying if it wasn’t her. How had she even let Percy talk her into doing this in the first place?

“Annabeth Chase.”

Never mind. She’s happy she let Percy talk her into this.

Percy gives her a lopsided smile, cheering with her own hand that was grasped in his fist.

The names continue to be listed off, and she has no idea why so many people were on leadership because she hadn’t realized that there were so many positions even open. Thankfully though, the drone from the directors mouth finally ended, so Percy was turning to her in his seat.

“I’m drum major,” he says, unable to wipe the smile from off his face. “I can’t believe it.”

“Being junior drum major’s awesome,” she says, patting him on the head jokingly. “I knew you’d get it.”

“And I knew you’d get captain,” he says. “Just saying, you’ve got tough shoes to fill.”

Annabeth snorts. “Whose? Yours?”

“Being woodwind captain is some serious business,” he tells her. “You’re in charge of the flutes, clarinets, _and_ saxes.”

“How hard can it be? _You_ did it.”

“As your drum major, you need to show me respect.”

“If you wanted respect, you shouldn’t have shown me your soft and cuddly side,” she laughs out. “You cuddle in your sleep.”

“That was one time!”

“It was cute,” she says. “Hard to explain to your mom, but it’s okay. She thought it was funny.”

Percy’s face reddens, and he opens his mouth like he’s about to admit something he might regret. “I only cuddle people in my sleep that I—”

Rachel chooses that moment to interrupt their conversation, swinging her arms over Percy’s shoulder from behind him. Anyone from the outside would’ve thought they were a couple, and Annabeth’s heart pangs painfully in her chest. She tries to just forget it, because her and Percy were friends, and that’s all it was.

“Congrats, best friend,” Rachel says, having the audacity to press a kiss to his cheek. It’s nothing Annabeth hasn’t seen happen before, but the way Percy looks mortified and like he’d rather be anywhere else is. “We’re going to be drum majors together. That’s like best friend goals.”

“Yeah, it is.” Percy subtly tries to unwrap Rachel’s arms from around him, and for some reason, he’s unable to look Annabeth in the eyes. “You deserve it,” he says.

“We should go out for ice cream after school,” she says. “Like old times. I don’t know why it’s been so long.”

To Annabeth, this interaction was painfully awkward. She wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but this was cringeworthy.

Percy clicks his teeth. “I would, but Annabeth and I already had plans. I’m sorry.”

Annabeth just barely manages to stifle her surprised cough, because no, they didn’t have plans. She had way too much homework to do that night, especially since she was studying for her finals, so there was no way in hell that she’d be going out with him tonight.

“Oh.” Rachel tries to keep a cheery expression on her face. “Next time, then.”

“For sure.”

Another painful silence breaks out between them until Rachel rightfully decides to leave. Percy actually lets out a breath once she’s out of earshot.

“May I ask what that was about?” Annabeth says, withholding laughter as he drops his head into his hands. “Aren’t you two best friends?”

Percy lifts his head only to lean forward and drop it onto her shoulder. “We were. Now it’s just really weird between us.”

“Why?” Annabeth’s brows scrunch up.

“I don’t know.” He sits back up and crosses his arms like he’s embarrassed to speak. “I just — I’d rather hang out with you now. Her and I were best friends since seventh grade, but now we’re just fighting all the time and she’s getting really clingy.”

“Did something happen?”

“Some things did,” he admits. “I don’t think that’s the problem.”

“Then what is?”

“I think she’s feeling a bit left out because I’m making friends with other people now.” The _like you_ goes unsaid, but it’s still apparent what he meant by new friends.

“Then maybe you shouldn’t ditch her for me,” she suggests. “If you’re best friends with her, you can’t ignore her.”

“That’s the thing,” he says. “We’re not best friends. Not anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” she says.

“Don’t be.” Percy looks up as the bell rings and then he’s standing, holding out a hand for her to take. “We just found out that we’re woodwind captain and drum major! Let’s just focus on how amazing this year’s going to be.”

Annabeth smiles, accepting his hand. “What? With you bossing me around?”

“I won’t boss you around,” he promises. “Everyone else — yes. But not you.”

“And why’s that?” she asks, picking up her bag and keeping her arm in his as they make for the door.

“Because you won’t need my help. You know what you’re doing, and you always have.”

“Aww, you believe in me.”

“I do.” Percy holds open the door for her. “I’m excited for this next year. You’ll be marching picc, and I’ll be there conducting.”

“Does this mean I’m allowed to pick the stand tunes at football games?” Annabeth asks seriously. “Because I would love that.”

“Technically, no. I’d have to do the same thing for everyone else too.”

“Please?” she asks, leaning in close. “But you love me.”

Percy looks at her, and the smile he gives her is filled with adoration and something else she doesn’t recognize, and it makes her stomach flutter. She doesn’t know where these feelings had come from, but man were they hitting her hard.

“Fine,” he says, poking her nose. “But you can’t tell anyone I’m letting you do that.”

Annabeth makes a show to zip her lips. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“You’re too cute,” he says, and there it is again. The fluttering picks up inside of her again, and she’s smart enough to know what it means, but she’s also smart enough to push that way into the back of her mind. “I’m excited for marching season.”

“Me too. Are you gonna watch me while you’re on the podium?”

“I gotta watch the band, Beth,” he says.

“You aren’t gonna entertain your best friend while you’re up there and we’re fixing sets?” She pouts her lips.

“Maybe I’ll sneak a few glances in,” he relents. “Only because you’re my best friend and I love you.”

Annabeth gives him a blinding grin and squeezes his arm. Really, this next school year was going to be amazing. Percy got the position he wanted, and so did she. It was just going to be so much easier for the both of them, and she couldn’t wait.

The only thing that would’ve made it better is if she was drum major with him too, but she’s not going to tell him that. Not until next year’s auditions roll around, anyways.

* * *

**Year 2**

Annabeth shrieks as someone’s hands wrap around her waist and sends her flying off the ground.

When she finally gains her footing again, she turns around to shove Percy’s chest, annoyed. His green eyes were gleaming in the darkness as they hid along the side of the football game, and she knew he was trying so hard not to laugh at her.

“That’s not funny!” she says, though even she started laughing. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“You’re fine,” he tells her, undoing the velcro on his white gloves and sliding them off. “You should’ve expected it really, since you’re the one who texted me to come here.”

“I didn’t know if you were actually coming because it took you forever to get here.

”Percy shrugs sympathetically. “I got stuck talking to Brunner. He was asking me about the show.”

“What’d he say?”

“We just need to fix some lines. It’s no big deal,” he assures. “Just drum major stuff.”

“Oh, shut up,” she says.

“You’ll understand next year when you’re a drum major too.”

“Who says I’m applying?” she taunts.

“You better,” he says, his voice full of mock warning. “What’s not to love about being a drum major?”

“The uniforms, for starters,” she says, eyeing him up and down. The uniform actually wasn’t all that bad. It was just plain black bibbers and a black jacket, complemented by a sparkling silver sash across the top. It was actually more appealing than the normal uniforms in her opinion, especially on him, but she’d never tell him that. “Disgusting.”

“Liar.” Percy pushes her backwards until she’s pressed against the fence of the football field, and she prays no one can see them from the stands. They weren’t technically supposed to be here during third quarter break. Percy ends up putting both arms around her, supporting himself on the top of the fence, and Annabeth has to fight the flush of her cheeks.

That was another thing. They’d been pretty good friends for over a year now, and her feelings for him seemed to sprout beyond just _‘pretty good friends’_ at this point. This type of thing wasn’t new though — they were always pretty affectionate friends so pushing her up against a fence and trapping her was just a daily occurrence.

“You love the uniform.” Percy tickles her side. “Piper told me you said you wanted one for yourself, actually.”

“Piper’s a traitor,” she deadpans. She turns to look at the timer on the giant glowing board, and it reads two minutes left until fourth quarter. “We should probably head back soon before Mr. Brunner realizes we’re missing.”

Percy groans, stepping away from her. “I just want to go home. Conducting for another quarter is exhausting.”

“Oh, you poor baby,” she mocks, already walking in the direction of the stands. “You’ll survive. Now come on.”

Percy obediently follows after her, eventually falling into step beside her. Somewhere off in the distance, lightning strikes and is followed by thunder. It had been going on since they marched the halftime show, so they didn’t think that it would actually start raining anytime soon.

They were quickly proven wrong when out of nowhere, rain started pouring down from the sky, almost immediately soaking Annabeth’s hair. Percy started laughing, and Annabeth did too until she remembered that she left her instrument out of its case and on the stands.

“Shit,” she hisses, breaking into a sprint and almost slipping in the forming piles of mud. Percy calls out after her, asking why she’s running, but she doesn’t stop to answer her. If her instrument got wet, the pads and cork would be freaking screwed — the whole instrument would be because it was made entirely out of wood, and dear lord, she hopes one of the flutes was nice enough to put it away for her.

She stumbles onto the metal bleachers, almost falling straight on her ass as the went up the ramp. The rest of the band was stumbling around the bleachers for their things, and some poor kid accidentally kicked his flip folder through the holes of the seat.

Brunner is yelling at everyone to grab their things and head back to the band room, so kids are pretty much all over the place, screaming at each other and trying to grab so many things that it couldn’t even all fit in their hands.

Annabeth spots her piccolo sitting on the center of the bleachers, and thankfully she had been smart enough to shove her shako over it so it didn’t get completely soaked. She bends down to grab her drawstring bag and throw it over her shoulder before she grabs her instrument and shako and turns around to get out of the pouring rain.

Of course, when she turns around, there’s an angry Rachel glaring at Annabeth and blocking her path.

Annabeth brushes her hair plastered to her forehead. “Can you please—”

Rachel clenched her fist and absolutely lost it. “Where were you!?”

Annabeth blinks, confused. “My instrument’s getting wet, so can you move?”

“I’m asking you where you were! All third quarter, I’ve been looking for you and you were nowhere to be found!”

Annabeth isn’t entirely sure why she’s getting yelled at. She isn’t required to stay in the stands during their break, so Annabeth suspects this has a lot more to do with personal issues than a legitimate concern for her wellbeing.

“ _Move_!” Annabeth says again, trying to shove her instrument under the lip of her jacket to stop the rain from hitting it.

“Not until you tell me where you were!” Rachel gets into her face, and Annabeth braces herself for the scolding. Since the start of the school year, Rachel had been on Annabeth’s ass about every tiny thing, and this was just a really inconvenient time for this to occur because her instrument cost thousands of dollars and she really didn’t want to break it. “You’ve so fucking—”

Percy’s jumping into the conversation then, pressing a hand to Annabeth’s soaked jacket. “She was with me!’ he calls out over the loud crackle of thunder.

Annabeth looks around anxiously. The stands were almost empty by this point, and so was the entire football stadium. She didn’t want to be the last one out here, and she thought that Percy’s interruption would let her get away, but of course that wasn’t the case.

Rachel scoffs. “So not only was Annabeth not doing her job, but she was over there hooking up with you!”

Annabeth’s eyes widen, and she is appalled. “I—”

Percy interrupts her. “Don’t you bring her into this, Dare.”

Annabeth’s now really confused, because she has no idea what he’s talking about. She didn’t know there was anything else going on besides an ending friendship, but even that had been happening for months by this point.

“Annabeth’s a good-for-nothing bitch and you’re—”

Percy seethes. “You have _no right_ —”

Rachel stomps her foot, and the sound of it against the metal is barely even heard through the rain. “I have every right to call you out for being a dick!”

Percy’s practically screaming in her face. “She has done nothing to you, so don’t you dare put her name in your mouth!”

Then, Percy is pushing Annabeth’s back for her to start walking, leaving Rachel screaming at them in the background. Percy just keeps guiding her, and once they’re off the bleachers, they’re sprinting back to the band room, following after a few other straggling band members.

Annabeth’s hair is practically flat now, and her outfit is soaked. Only one finger sticks under her jacket to hold the bottom of the piccolo, and she is thankful to have such a tiny instrument because it would’ve otherwise been destroyed.

She’s left thinking about what had just happened, because it was a really odd conversation. They seemed to both know exactly what the other meant, but Annabeth hadn’t had a clue as to what was going down between them, which makes Annabeth think Percy was hiding something from her.

They finally made it to the band room after splashing through puddles, and walking into the band room was of an alternate reality. The band director was at the front of the room, screaming at people to take their uniforms off and lay them on a chair to dry before they were ruined.

Percy follows Annabeth to the front of the room, and Annabeth stands in her usual spot in the arc formation. One look at Percy, and she knows that he’s enraged by Rachel’s words. His green eyes are stormier than outside, and his fists are clenched, and he’s practically steaming from the ears.

Still, he wordlessly moves her hair to unzip her jacket and helps her shuck it off, turning around so she could do the same to him. Once it’s off, he sets it onto a chair right behind the podium, that was pretty much designated for the drum majors’ things.

Annabeth watches him as he takes off the rest of the uniform and lays it out to dry, and she contemplates whether it’s best to leave him alone or ask what was going on. As she’s peeling her fingerless gloves from her hands, she decides to ask him about it.

“You okay?”

Percy doesn’t even look at her. “I’m fine.”

“You sure?” Annabeth slowly closes the two feet between them. “You look like you’re about to murder someone.”

“Please stop.”

Annabeth bites her lower lip. “What _was_ that?”

“Annabeth, please leave it alone, because if you don’t, I can almost guarantee I’ll end up taking it out on you, and I don’t want to do that.”

“Percy.”

“ _Annabeth_.” Percy’s face is really deadly now, and she knows she should probably stop while she’s ahead, but she doesn’t.

“What was she talking about?” she pesters.

“Annabeth, I swear to god—”

“Did I do something wrong? I don’t see why you’re getting mad at me.”

Percy leans against the podium, his hair dripping wet and his show shirt letting water droplets fall down his arms as he crosses them across his chest. “You’re not the one I’m mad at.”

“Rachel then?”

“Stop,” he warns again.

“I’m asking because you won’t tell me anything,” she exclaims, exasperated. “It looked like it was about me, so was it?”

His jaw clenches. “Yes.”

“Why? What did I do?”

“ _Nothing._ That’s the point.”

“Clearly, she thinks I did something, so.”

Percy drops his hands, fuming. “Do you really want to know why she’s acting like that?”

“I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t—”

“We had sex.”

Annabeth pauses in her tracks, nearly choking.

“It was a while ago, but it happened, and now she’s getting mad that I’m getting close to you, so she’s taking it out on you.”

Annabeth’s not sure what to say to that. She hadn’t known that they had ever actually dated, and now they’ve apparently slept together and he hadn’t told her? It kind of stings.

“There’s nothing more to it than she’s getting jealous of you and she’s trying to get back at me through you.” Percy shakes his head, annoyed. “Are you happy now?”

Her jaw dropped. “ _Happy_? Why wouldn’t you tell me that?”

“Why would I!?”

“I’m your best friend!”

“It happened before we were even close,” he says. “She just noticed that we’re getting closer and that’s why she’s doing it, okay?”

“I don’t get it.” Annabeth bites at her thumb, hand still clamped down onto her wet gloves. “Why would she care about us getting closer?”

Percy sighs, clearly not wanting to go on with this topic. “She thinks I have a crush on you.”

Annabeth’s heart stopped in her chest, and now definitely wasn’t the time to go over this, but it was happening anyways. Rachel apparently felt that her nonexistent relationship with Percy was threatened, so she was pretty much bullying Annabeth into backing down?

She swallows. “Do you?”

Percy scoffs, shaking his head incredulously, unable to look her in the eyes. “I don’t know, okay? Can we please stop this?”

Annabeth’s stomach drops, and she kind of wants to cry, but she doesn’t know why. It’s not like he’d ever given her any hints as to liking her, so she shouldn’t have been surprised by his answer.

Someone calls Percy’s name, and when they both look in that direction, they see Rachel standing next to Chiron, looking both pissed and awfully smug.

Percy groans again, muttering, “Great,” as he turns around and walks over to them, no doubt about to be in some major trouble.

Percy ends up being called into Chiron’s office, and the door shuts with the three of them inside. Annabeth decides to wait on Percy, hoping that the meeting didn’t take too long.

People began to slowly trickle out as the band parents helped deal with the soaking uniforms, telling people to just leave them out for the weekend and to take paper towels and dry the woodwind instruments.

People continued to leave until there were only around five people left in the room, stumbling around the open instruments and cluttered chairs spread around the room. Annabeth is just sitting on the floor, waiting for him to come out. She couldn’t leave anyways because he was also her ride, so she just sat there for another thirty minutes, watching through the glass of the office.

When the door finally opened, Percy was storming out in her direction. From the way he was moving, she knew that the meeting hadn’t gone well at all. Rachel exited behind him, looking slightly more happy than him about the turn of events.

“Let’s go,” he muttered to her, jerkily grabbing his school backpack and then his band bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

“What happened?” she whispers, scrambling to her feet and grabbing her own stuff.

“Not now,” he grits through his teeth, turning around and practically sprinting towards the door.

“Should I call my dad to come get me?” she asks as he leads her around the corner. “You seem like you want to be alone.”

“No.” Percy digs around for his car keys as they near his Prius. He unlocks the door and shoves his stuff in the backseat, Annabeth doing the same.

Once they’re settled into the car, he’s turning the keys in the ignition, blasting the heater to help with the chill of their wet clothes. Annabeth isn’t sure if she should ask again, but thankfully Percy starts speaking first.

“Rachel decided to tell Brunner where we had been,” he says, staring straight ahead. “She wanted to get you in trouble.”

“But I didn’t,” she says, confused.

“I did.” Percy settles an elbow against his window, leaning his head into his palm. “We weren’t supposed to be there, so I’m stuck in the stands during third quarter break the rest of marching season.”

“What?” Annabeth couldn’t believe that was the punishment for something so stupid, especially when people like Rachel weren’t even held accountable for their actions. “What about what Rachel said to you?”

“You think he cared?” Percy exhales slowly, his eyes shut. “He just went on about how I was the one who was irresponsible and setting a bad example.”

“That’s not fair,” she complains. “She literally called me a bitch right in front of my face.”

“I know, and I put her in her place.” Percy chuckles humorlessly. “She tried to bring you up again in the office and I called her out for it, and then got in even more trouble.”

Annabeth frowns. “Did he say anything else?”

Percy’s whole body tenses. “He said that my actions were not of a leader and that maybe I’m not fit to be drum major next year.”

“For _one_ thing?” Annabeth actually sits up, furious. “You’re not the one going around harassing people!”

“I know.”

“Why didn’t he say anything to me? I’m the only reason you were there in the first place!”

Percy opens his eyes and looks at her then. “You’re not going to tell anyone that.”

“Why not?”

“I told him that I dragged you down there which is why you aren’t in trouble.”

“Percy,” she says. “That’s not true and you know it.”

“I know, but you’re going to let me take the blame anyways.”

“Why, Percy?”

“Because I care about you,” he says. “I don’t want you to get in trouble for something stupid. I wouldn’t be surprised if he brings it up to the office, and if that happens, I don’t want some stupid referral on your record, okay? Just let me handle it.”

Annabeth shrinks back. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He runs fingers through his wet hair. “The only person that did anything wrong was Rachel, and the only way it could’ve been worse is if they said what they said to _you_.”

“I feel bad.”

“It’s for the best. I would’ve lost my shit if they started attacking you.”

“Still.”

“Hey,” Percy says, facing her. He’s still really tense, and she knows without a doubt he’s ready to kill someone, but he’s trying really hard not to take it out on her. “It’s not your fault, okay? Let’s just go to mine to eat ice cream and trash Rachel all night.”

“Are you sure you want to do that still?” She looks at him doubtfully. “You don’t have to.”

“I want to,” he says. “I need to end this day on a somewhat good note, so let’s just forget about this and spend the next few hours doing something useful.”

“Like eating ice cream?”

“Like eating ice cream,” he confirms, buckling his seatbelt and putting the car in reverse. “I’m sorry you had to find out about Rachel and I like that.

Annabeth takes a deep breath. Truth be told, she was kind of upset about that. Not so much that it happened because at this point, practically half the band has hooked up in practice rooms, but she was sad that he didn’t tell her. It felt like he didn’t want her to know, and she just doesn’t see why he would intentionally hide something like that.

Instead of voicing her concerns, she says, “It’s no big deal. Let’s just forget about it.” He’s had a difficult past hour and he didn’t need her to make it worse than it already was.

The drive home was in comfortable silence, but Annabeth’s mind was still racing. A lot had been revealed that night and she wasn’t sure how to take it.

She kind of knows that she’s had a crush on Percy for a while now. It’s not like it’s hard to hide it because they’re best friends anyways, and she would be fine if they stayed like that too, but the feelings were always there.

She had thought that maybe he felt the same way, but from his answer tonight, it was clear that was not the case. At least she knew for sure and could move on with her life, but still — it hurt just a little bit. Regardless, she’d be okay. She always was.

He was still her best friend, and that would always be enough.

* * *

Annabeth sits with her head down, twiddling her thumbs and trying not to panic.

She was definitely not feeling too great and being forced to sit in the metal bleachers in a heavy band uniform was not helping. Neither was the sun that was glaring above. It definitely should not be so hot towards the end of September.

The second the band had stepped outside and marching down to the football field, she knew that this was not going to be a very good game. It was always really hot in the uniforms, but today was just something else in itself.

All she wants to do on this dreadful Friday is go home and sleep, but no, instead she’s going to be forced to hop around and listen to cadences.

Annabeth shifts in her seat, trying not to let her instrument fall between her knees, as she adjusts the top of her jacket. She’d take it off to let herself cool down, but the director wanted them all on until after they played the _Star-Spangled Banner_.

Annabeth lifts her water jug, taking a few sips before setting it back down beside her feet and going back to wanting to die.

Percy settles in next to her on the bleachers, nearly knocking some poor freshman off in the process, before bumping her shoulder. “How’s my favorite flute player?”

“Don’t say that too loud,” she says, “or else they’ll sacrifice you to the flute gods.”

“Who’s the flute god?”

“Lizzo.”

“Ah,” he says, nodding wisely. “I’m up for first quarter.”

“Thank you for letting me know,” she says seriously. “Is there any particular reason you cared to tell me this?”

“Do you want any specific stand tunes?”

Annabeth grins. “Start with _Big Ballin_ and then go _Shout it Out_.”

“Any other special requests?”

“ _Pompeii_ or _Sweet Caroline_. Surprise me.”

Percy chuckles, standing back up. “Got it.”

“Are you actually going to do those?”

“If those are the ones you want, then yeah.”

Annabeth holds a hand over her heart. “I’m touched.”

“You should be,” he says, pointing at her. “I could get in serious trouble if they find out I’m taking requests.”

“Is it a request if you asked me?”

Percy rolls his eyes fondly, walking away. “Get your woodwinds up, loser. We play in two minutes.”

Annabeth subtly flips him off, which he returns, before she’s standing and ushering the rest of the woodwinds up and to attention. The clock hits zero and then the school’s ROTC group is walking the flag down the field, and Percy’s lifting his hands to set.

Someone announces the band overhead and then the stadium is standing up. Once it’s silent, Percy’s lifting his hands and the snare rolls, and then they’re off.

By the time they finish, Annabeth already feels rather faint again, and she’d barely been playing for two minutes. Finally, Annabeth gets to take her jacket off though, so she’s forcing some clarinet behind her to unzip her and then she’s sloppily folding the fabric and shoving it into her drawstring bag.

Once everyone’s situated, Percy gives Annabeth a wink from the podium and holds up a one, and people start cheering. Annabeth, who’s feeling gross, does not, and Percy tilts his head, observing her.

The flutes, because they’re just extra like that, step up onto the bleachers and then Percy’s counting them off.

The stand tune was fun for about thirty seconds until Annabeth nearly passed out off of the bleachers in the middle of _Big Ballin_. The second she gains her surroundings again, she’s hopping off in the middle of the song to stand on ground that doesn’t wobble anymore, holding her lips to her instrument and just fakes playing.

When the team finally goes to offense, Annabeth flops down to her seat, never wanting to stand again.

Unfortunately, she doesn’t get to sit as much as she’d like because before she knows it, second quarter has started and the team is back on defense, which means the band has to play.

The only good thing is Rachel is the drum major on the podium, which means Percy gets to hang around Annabeth for a good while.

Percy ends up stealing her instrument, claiming he needs to learn piccolo if he wants to major in music, which gives Annabeth a nice break from wasting her breath blowing her own eardrums out.

Once the clock is nearing the end of second quarter, the director’s hurrying people to get their jackets back on and get out to the field for the half time show. Annabeth’s just really confused as to how everything’s happening so fast around her— it’s like she blinked and it was an hour later.

She hurriedly zips Percy up when he asks and then he zips her up, before she’s grabbing her shako and instrument and running on down to the side of the football field, finding her place at the front of the line where they march on.

Some parent sticks a plume in her hat, and it smells suspiciously of vomit, and then she really wants to pass out because _why does it smell like that?_ Instead, she sucks it up, forcing her ponytail up into the hat and nearly choking on her own tongue in the process of getting it on.

People gather beside her in their separate lines, and Annabeth’s kind of freaking out now because she’s been on the verge of unconsciousness for hours now and she doesn’t think marching four movements, or over ten minutes, under the shining stadium lights with this hot ass uniform is going to do her any good.

She just bites her lip because she doesn’t really have a choice on going out onto the field.

Percy appears in front of her, and Rachel is right by his side, which Annabeth finds very irritating. He looks at her, and then he reaches forward to tuck in the loose strap of her shako, which is rather domestic and cute.

The strap of his shako is kind of in his mouth because he’ll just have to take it off in a few minutes anyways, but it hinders his ability to move his mouth without it falling off in its entirety. She can still see his face crease as he watches her.

“You okay?” he asks, hand moving up to hold the strap against his face.

She nods solemnly.

“You look — pale…”

“I’m not feeling so hot,” she says, voice too upbeat for what she’d just said. “I’m fine.”

“Can you march?”

“I’m fine,” she repeats.

“You might wanna sit on the sidelines if you’re gonna pass out.”

“No can do,” she says, looking straight ahead. “That’s a big no-no.”

Percy raises an eyebrow in warning. “It’s better than passing out in the middle of third movement and having the mellos trample you one by one.”

“I’ll survive,” she tells him. “It’s only ten minutes.”

Percy just sighs, knowing that she won’t be changing her mind. “Okay,” he says, turning around while securing his shako and taking his place in front of the band.

Annabeth just closes her eyes and mentally curses, and then they’re marching out and she kind of wants to die. Somehow, she did manage to make it through first movement, and then second, and somewhere around third, she gets a little wobbly but she’s proud to say you would’ve never been able to tell by her marching because she never once missed a beat.

As she crosses over from side one to side two, she catches Percy’s eyes on her, and he looks pretty concerned for her wellbeing. She thinks he follows her for the rest of the show, which was probably dizzying because she’s really being forced to move from one thirty yard line to the other in twenty steps, but he does it anyways.

When she’s finally able to get off the field, her arms burning having stayed perfectly parallel to the ground for so long, she heaves the biggest breath ever, letting herself fall into line until they’re through the fence again and circling back to the bleachers for their break.

Percy falls into line next to her, carrying his shako in one arm. “Are you doing anything during break?”

“Am I ever?” Annabeth snorts, because she doesn’t usually do anything except follow Percy around.

Percy just rolls his eyes and grabs her wrist, dragging her through a short cut to the stands that wasn’t technically allowed for anyone except the drum majors. She gets special privileges because of Percy like that, and it’s useful when she doesn’t want to wait in the crowd of smelly band kids with sweat dripping down their necks.

“I was watching you as you marched,” he says, plucking the plume from his hat and giving it to a band parent to put away. “You looked pretty terrified at some point during the follow the leader.”

“I thought a bug was crawling down my neck,” she says, laughing. “It was just sweat.”

“That’s a lovely visualization, thank you.”

“You brought it up,” she points out, setting her things in her spot on the metal bleachers. “Unzip me?”

Percy sets his stuff next to hers before turning her around, and then Chiron just has to call out, “Keep your jackets on!” to the entire band and she’s never wanted to jump off a cliff more.

Percy drops his hands and just goes to grab a sip of water instead, but Annabeth groans out loud.

“Why the fuck do we have to keep our jackets on?” she whispers to herself and Percy. “I’m melting in this.”

“He probably just wants us ready to play fourth quarter,” he says before taking a swig of icy water. “It makes it easier if we don’t have to get redressed.”

“But I’m dying in this,” she complains. Honestly, the heat is just getting really annoying, and it’s not even that hot outside. It was more the blood rushing to her face and the tight confines of her uniform that made her want to rip off her own skin in an attempt to cool herself.

“Just go somewhere else and take it off,” he says. “No one will know.”

“The head drum major will,” she grumbles while messing with her gauntlets.

“I won’t tell anyone,” he says. “You know that.”

Annabeth swallows hard. Is it just her or are colors shifting? “It’s your duty to report any crimes committed against the band kid handbook.”

“That’s not a thing.” Percy walks up to her and tugs at a damp curl on her head. “Come on. Let’s go get some snacks from concessions.”

Annabeth grumbles angrily but lets herself be led by Percy towards the ramp. “ _Drop some ketchup on our dry-clean only uniforms_ , Percy says. _We won’t get charged one-hundred dollars if we make a mess,_ Percy says.”

Percy shoots her a look. “I don’t sound like that.”

“You _sound_ like a moron.”

“So like you?”

Annabeth was going to respond in indignation, but then her colors begin to shift again. It was like she had just gotten off of a rollercoaster because she suddenly couldn’t walk straight and was tumbling right into Percy’s back.

When he looks at her, confused, she’s fairly certain he said something to her, but she can’t hear it because her world is being pulled from beneath her feet and she’s falling to the hard metal ground.

* * *

Annabeth blinks her eyes open slowly and finds herself laying down.

Upon more slow blinking and a foggy mind, she realizes that she’s laying sideways, precariously balanced on the thin seat of the bleachers with her head propped up on someone’s lap.

She’s also surrounded by a gaggle of band moms, who were all holding out water bottles to her and talking at the same time. From the angle she was looking at them, they looked very alien-like.

“You okay, sweetie?” A nice-looking band mom opens a water bottle and practically forces it to Annabeth’s lips until she takes a few sips.

Annabeth kind of hates this and wants to leave. She’s smart enough to know that she had probably just fainted in front of the entire band, and it couldn’t get much worse unless everyone started fretting over her, which is exactly what they were doing.  
  
“I’m fine,” she says, trying to sit up until someone’s hand on her shoulder forces her back down. When she looks up, she sees that the lap she’s laying on belongs to Percy and he probably looked more concerned than everyone else.

“Stay down, Beth,” he says.

“I’m fine now,” she tries again. “I feel much better now, so can I please just—”

“You passed out for over a minute,” a mom with an accent says. This mom is holding a neon yellow cooling towel to her neck. “Just take it easy, okay?”

She can feel her face flaring with heat, and they probably think it’s heat exhaustion, but she knows that it’s because this is just mortifying. She really is hoping that not many people saw her.

“Can I please just sit up?” she asks with her teeth grit.

The first mom nods her head hesitantly and then Percy’s helping lift her up until she’s leaning against his shoulder. He wastes no time before going to unzip the back of her jacket so she could at least get some air.

The cool air that was now blowing against her back felt incredibly good and was contrasting from the rest of her that was sticky with sweat.

She kind of just stared at the group huddled around her, unsure of what she was supposed to do. She felt perfectly fine now, likely due to the cooling towel bringing her body temperature down, and she wanted to just get up and walk away like nothing had happened, but that definitely wouldn’t be happening, if Percy’s tight grip around her waist was any indication.

Still. It was worth a try.

“Can I go now?” she asks awkwardly.

“You should go home,” a male voice says, and then she wants to curse because it was Brunner’s voice over her shoulder. “You clearly didn’t hydrate properly.”

Annabeth’s about to smack him. Maybe it had something to do with forcing us to play for hours in full uniform with little to no water breaks and then making them march a ten-minute show and not allow them to take their jackets off even then. Or maybe it was that she hadn’t hydrated properly.

No. It was for sure the fact that they were barely given any water, but sure, why not blame her for passing out?

“She came with me,” Percy says. “I’m her ride home.”

“Then you’re both dismissed.” Chiron looks between the two of them, and he looked thoroughly unhappy to be losing a drum major, but hey, that’s why there’s two of them. “When you go back to the band room, be sure to put away your uniforms properly.”

From that point on, Annabeth can’t really explain what had happened. She was being walked off the bleachers with people on every side of her (again: mortifying) and then people were yanking her uniform off for her and folding it onto the hangar.

Percy disappears for a moment while she just topples backwards onto the carpeted floor, wishing she could disappear forever and never have to face this embarrassment again. When he does come back, he’s hovering over her and then helping her up by the hand, leading her out to his car.

“I don’t have my stuff,” she protests as she’s dragged along.

“I already put it in the car,” he says.

“Stop treating me like I’m sick,” she whines, twisting her wrist out of his grasp.

“Well, you did just pass out and practically fall all the way down the ramp,” he says. “Nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“I’m fine now.”

“I don’t want to risk that,” he says before opening the passenger side door and shoving her inside. Well, he didn’t actually shove her but she’s going to pretend he did so she has an excuse to be grumpy about the way he’s treating her like glass.

She drops her head into her hands as he gets into the driver seat. “This is so embarrassing.”

“What is?”

“You just said I fell down the ramp.”

“You didn’t actually, but you would have if I hadn’t been standing right there.”

“I want to die.”

Percy just pulls out of the parking lot and starts towards where he knows she lives. “You’re fine.”

“The entire band just watched me pass out.”

“Most of the band kids were already on break. I don’t think anyone really saw you.”

Annabeth screeches. “I want to die.”

Percy looks at her for a second. “Before I continue on to make fun of you, let me just ask if you’re actually okay?”

“The only thing that hurts is my dignity,” she mutters. “But don’t you dare make fun of me.”

Percy, who had been serious about the situation up until that point, starts guffawing, tears actually streaming down his eyes. “You passed out!” He’s actually cackling and she’s about to open the passenger door on the highway and jump out.

“Why is that funny!?” Annabeth bangs her head backwards. “That is single-handedly the most embarrassing thing to happen in my entire life! And this is a serious medical emergency!”

“You’re fine,” he says, wiping his eye. “You just passed out cause you got overheated. It’s not like you were dying.”

She sniffs. “I could’ve been.”

Percy breaks into another bout of laughter.

“What?”

“It’s just—” Percy has to gather himself before he can speak, but when he does, he’s still snickering. “You’re an official band kid now. I’m so proud of you.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“You’re not a real band kid until you pass out,” he explains. “It happens to a lot of people at one point or another. It’s sort of like the band kid initiation.”

“It doesn’t make it any less embarrassing,” she says. “People are going to make fun of me now.”

“No one’s even going to remember by Monday,” he reassures her. “Everyone does it at some point, though.”

“Oh, yeah? Who else?” she challenges.

“You know Jason? Trumpet?”

She nods.

“He passed out freshman year while we were setting drill.” Percy snorts again. “Straight into an ant pile. Not to mention, he brought an entire line of clarinets down with him.”

“Oh my god,” she cries, a smile breaking out on her face. “Did he really?”

“Mhm. Fell like dominos.”

“Why didn’t they stop?”

“It was during a backwards curved follow the leader. They couldn’t see behind them, so when Jason fell, the person in front of him tripped over him, and so on.”

“I guess my experience isn’t quite as bad,” she says reluctantly. “What’s your story then?”

Percy shifts away from her, biting his lip to try and stop another bout of giggles. “There’s no way I’m telling you that.”

“I’m your best friend and I’m humiliated and it’s your job to make me feel better.”

Percy snorts, looking to his left as he switches lanes. “Will it really make you feel better?”

“Oh, yes,” she says. “Please do tell.”

Percy sighs. “It all started one summer morning at band camp.”

“One time at band camp, I stuck a—”

Percy starts laughing, pressing a hand to her mouth. “Don’t finish that sentence. It’s even worse coming from you since you actually play flute.”

Her eyes gleam. “Tell me the rest.”

“We had a water break, which is rare, and little Percy was trying to make friends with the seniors. One of them let me hop up on the podium for a little while, and those things are metal.”

Annabeth’s breath catches, seeing where this was going.

“I swear those podiums attract heat and make the drum majors cook alive. Anyways, I was up on there, and then next thing I know, I’m on the concrete with my head pretty much cracked open.”

Annabeth’s jaw drops.

“I passed out off the podium from six feet high, headfirst, so your story doesn’t even begin to compare to mine.”

“Please tell me you’re kidding,” she says.

“I wish I was.” Percy glances at her. “You’re not allowed to pity yourself because I literally passed out off the podium like a moron freshman in front of the entire band.”

“Oh, I’ll never pity myself again.” Annabeth leans her head against the door. “That’s awful.”

“You don’t need to tell me.”

“How come I’ve never heard this story before?”

“Because I knew if you heard it, you’d never let me live it down.”

“So you only told me because you didn’t want me to feel bad?” Annabeth elbows him fondly. “You care about me,” she teases.

“You already knew that,” he says. “I’m glad you’re fine now, but when you fell, I near had a panic attack.”

“What did you think was happening?”

“I had no idea. You were just falling and about to slam your nose on the railing, and my first reflex was to just grab you.” Percy shudders. “I don’t wanna talk about it. It was scary.”

“Me passing out?”

“Yes,” he stresses. “I don’t know. The image is just burned into my mind.”

Annabeth can tell from the way he’s getting fidgety that he really doesn’t want to think about it anymore. He must’ve really panicked, and it really makes her realize how much he cared.

He shared what must’ve been the worst moment in all of his years of band just to make her feel better, and she’s grateful for that. Now he’s taking her home just to make sure she’s okay, and the flutter starts up inside of her again.

“You love me,” she says, poking at his chest just to bother him. It was easier to joke about it than to face that she was pretty sure she was in love with her best friend, or at least getting there.

He doesn’t look at her as he chews on his bottom lip. He’s really tense now, and she thinks he wants to say something, but he didn’t.

“Do you not?” she prods.

“You know I do, Annabeth.” Percy still doesn’t look at her, and that bothers her.

“Then look at me and say it.”

This time, Percy does look at her, and he seems like he’s about to say it to her, and something about the dynamic in this car was different. Maybe it was that he had been so scared for her and desperate to make sure she was okay, or maybe it was a dynamic that had always been there, and she just hadn’t wanted to admit it.

When he opens his mouth, she fully expects him to say it to her.

“I don’t need to,” he says instead. “You already know it.”

Annabeth leans back into her seat, suddenly feeling incredibly claustrophobic, drowning in the tense atmosphere of the car. It wasn’t exactly what she had wanted to hear, and maybe it never would be, but it would have to do for now.

* * *

This year when auditions roll around, Annabeth decides to go for drum major. Percy had implanted the idea into her head, and he kept begging her to do it because they would be best friend goals, so she figures she might as well try.

The auditions had gone much better than she expected, but she still didn’t know if it would be enough. Rachel was still drum major, so she’d either be taking it away from her, or being added as a third drum major. She doesn’t know which would be worse.

The band director had decided not to announce positions in front of the entire band either, so she would have to go after school and grab an overly formal envelope that told her whether or not she got the position.

The only problem was she also had to finish a chemistry test after school, so she was forced to wait even longer than everyone else to find out her position, which heightened her anxiety tenfold.

“I’m going to have a heart attack,” Annabeth breathes, rushing out of her chemistry teacher’s room and into Percy’s open arms. “I am going to actually die.”

“You’re going to be fine,” he says, flicking the side of her head. “How’d the test go?”

“I aced it for sure,” she says. “Thanks for waiting.”

“Of course. I had to be there to see your face when you become drum major.”

“Or when I have a mental breakdown because I have to be woodwind captain for another year,” she says. “I might not get it.”

“Let’s go find out then,” he says, holding out a hand for her to take. “For the record, I think you’re going to get it.”

“I don’t. I’m going to get rejected, and then I’ll never be able to show my face in the band room. I’ll be forced to become a _theater kid_.”

“Oh, stop it. You’re going to be fine, and there’s nothing wrong with theater kids.”

“Agree to disagree.”

As they walk to the band room, Annabeth just continues to word-vomit all over the place. She’s so nervous that she’s not going to get it, and then she’ll just be seen as the kid who wasn’t good enough, and then she will cry.

“Will you still love me if I’m just a puny captain again?” she asks. “Just a seventeen-year-old child who wasn’t good enough for the big leagues?”

“I would love you if you were the world’s worst plumber,” he says.

Annabeth stifles a smile. He’d been saying stuff like that a lot more, and it really caught her off guard. He’d always been an affectionate friend, but now he was always hugging her or touching her in some way, and she doesn’t say anything because she’s scared she has the wrong idea, but it really melts her heart whenever he says or does stuff like that.

“Would you love me if I was a trumpet player?” she asks.

“Oh, well now you’ve crossed the line.” Percy gently ruffles the top of her hair. “We’re here, loser. Ready to go get your envelope?”

“No,” she says, but she’s already pushing the door open. Percy ends up waiting for her outside, and she’s only gone for about a minute before she’s back, clutching a white envelope with her name printed on the front.

“You gonna open it?” Percy eyes Annabeth weirdly because she just stands there staring at him.

“Should I do it here?”

“Don’t you want to know?”

She looks around. The halls are empty, but she still wants it to be a somewhat more private moment, so she shakes her head. “Let’s go somewhere else.”

Percy almost protests, but then he just gives in. “How about the park?”

Annabeth grins. “I love your thinking.”

A few months ago, they stumbled upon a really pretty park. It was small, with a few slides and swings, but it had become their little spot. Whenever they were bored, they’d just meet up there and talk for hours, and it was sort of Annabeth’s safe haven by that point.

The fact that it was only a few minutes’ walk from their school was a bonus. Annabeth has no idea how they’d never found the park before because it was literally so close to them, but she reckons it’s better late than never.

When they do get there, Annabeth’s digging her feet into the turf by the swings and dumping her bag to the ground. Percy leans against the metal pole holding the swings down as he waits for her to do something. Annabeth, of course, chickens out.

“I’m scared!”

Percy uncrosses his arms. “Of what?”

“What if I don’t get it?”

“Then you don’t get it. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“But—”

“Do you want me to open it for you?”

Annabeth holds the envelope to her chest. “No.”

“Then open the damn thing already.”

“Don’t get mad at me,” she chides. “I’m scared.”

“I’m not mad, but—” Percy snaps his mouth shut. “Just open it.”

Annabeth gives in, slowly peeling the letter open, and then as she’s reaching in to pull the slip of paper out, she’s giving out again.

“I can’t do it!”

Percy groans, pressing himself off the pole to walk towards her and snatch it from her hands. “Open it or I will.”

She snatches it back, shoving his shoulder. “Just— do you think I got it?”

“ _Annabeth._ ”

“Do you think I actually had a chance?”

Percy shakes his head at her fondly. “I think you got it, but you have to actually open it!”

“Fine.” Annabeth let a beat pass between them before she was reaching into the envelope again, fingers curling around a tiny sheet of paper. She took it out, closing her eyes for a second before she opened them and unfolded the paper.

Her eyes immediately found the words, and she slowly read over each one, and then—

“I got it!”

Annabeth looks at him, her face breaking into a painfully wide smile, before she’s shoving the paper in his face. “I’m a drum major!”

Percy grins back at her, accepting the paper to read over it himself. When he looks at her, he is incredibly proud. “I told you you’d get it!”

Annabeth’s practically bouncing up and down in joy. “You’re supposed to congratulate me!”

And so Percy does. He pulls her in by the waist, his head resting on top of hers and he smiles into her hair. “Congratulations, Annabeth. I’m so proud of you.”

Annabeth pulls away a tiny bit so she can look up at him. Their faces are hovering only inches away from each other, and she can’t help the way her cheeks hurt from the force of the smile.

And Percy— he’s just looking at her, something akin to love on his face, and Annabeth feels so completely at home under his gaze. He just holds her as she bounces on her toes, showing him the paper again, and then their eyes are locked again, just staring at each other like two idiots in love.

“I’m going to be drum major,” she says quietly, eyes gleaming.

“You’re going to be drum major,” he says back, his hands moving to either side of her face and brushing her blonde curls away.

There’s something in the way he’s holding her and the way he’s looking at her that makes Annabeth’s face flush, and then before she could comprehend what was happening, they were both leaning in closer, closing the gap between them.

Percy’s lips press softly into hers, and Annabeth’s eyes flutter closed. They stay like that for a few seconds, and then Percy’s pulling back to look down at her again, rubbing her cheek with his thumb tenderly.

“We’re going to be drum majors together,” she says, laughing because she couldn’t believe that had actually just happened. “We did it.”

“ _You_ did it,” he corrects, and oh yeah, Annabeth would never get enough of this. “I already knew you were going to get it.”

Annabeth beams. “You believed in me that much?”

“That, and he told me that you got it.”

Annabeth paused, poking his chest. “And you let me freak out about it when you already knew!?”

“You would’ve wanted to find out for yourself,” he says, pressing his forehead down to hers. “I wanted to see you find out.”

Annabeth’s eyes close again. “Yeah?”

“Mh-hm.” Percy’s hand trail down to her waist. “Can I kiss you again?”

Annabeth nods, and then he’s kissing her again, this time for longer, and she loves every second of it. It had been years since she knew she liked him, and she just couldn’t believe that this was actually happening now.

“God, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” he breathes, hugging her.

She snickers. “Loser.”

“Shut up.” He pulls her in tighter, and Annabeth just smiles against his chest. Truth be told, she’d been wanting that just as long as he had, if not longer. “We’re going to the power duo next year. Everyone will wish they were us.”

“Power duo,” she says, testing the words in her mouth. “I like it.”

“You know what I like more?”

“What?”

“Power couple.”

Annabeth throws her head back, laughing. “I think I like that one more too.”

Percy tickles her side, and she squeals trying to escape his arms. His grasp on her tightens, so her plan is immediately thwarted, but she finds she doesn’t care so much. His arms were a very nice place to be.

“Hey,” he says, nuzzling her neck. “I kinda like you.”

It’s what she’d been waiting on for years, and she just about jumps with glee. She’s probably acting like a typical schoolgirl, but she doesn’t care because this is her best friend and she kinda likes him too.

She more than kinda likes him though, and she tells him so.

“I more than kinda like you too,” he says jokingly, poking her nose.

Annabeth may not be in love, but she already knows it won’t be very long until she gets there. Ever since that first day at band camp, there had been something there, and she’s known that. Even Percy has known that, but now they both finally had the guts to admit it, and it was better than she could’ve imagined.

“Here’s to us,” she says. “Ruling over the band like the king and queen everyone knows we are.”

“And here’s to a perfect junior and senior year,” he adds on. “To Percy and Annabeth.”

Annabeth really wants to kiss him then, so she does. If this is what it’s going to be like, then she could live like this for the rest of her life.

When she decides to speak again, she can’t stop the wide smile. Her face is kind of sore by this point, but it doesn’t even matter to her because she _really_ likes the sound of that.

“To Percy and Annabeth.”

* * *

 **Year 3**

Annabeth sighs into the kiss, letting herself melt into it. Percy’s hand trails down her back and pulls her further into him, tangling their limbs together.

Their position on the floor was quite uncomfortable, seeing as they are cramped into one of the tiny practice rooms and stuffed behind five sousaphone cases so no one would see them if they walked in. Her head is in a weird position against the wall as the rest of their bodies are twisted onto their side to fit behind the cases, but she’s decently distracted from that.

Percy nips at her lower lip, and she smiles, threading her hands through his soft hair.

It’s all so different from the previous year. If you had asked her a few months ago, she would’ve never thought she’d find herself making out with the other drum major while hiding in a practice room during band camp.

It was pretty awesome, she has to admit.

“Percy,” she breathed, accidently elbowing him in the stomach. “People are going to come looking for us soon.”

Percy makes a sound of disapproval before bringing her lips back to his. “They’re all in sectionals right now. We have at least another half hour before full band rehearsal.”

Annabeth dropped her head to his neck, relishing the direct contact of his fingers under her loose t-shirt. She silently thanks god that they hadn’t just come from setting drill on the field because she would’ve been dripping with sweat if that had been the case.

His fingers keep climbing higher and higher up her back and she just stays slumped against his chest, letting him start to massage her back. The sunburn’s making her pretty sore and his cold fingers feel amazing against her heated skin.

“We should stop,” she says, her eyes closed as his arms wrap back around her waist. “If the director walks in, we’re in so much trouble.”

“He can’t get mad for what we do on our own time.” Their lips lock again, and she can’t help but grin into it. “This is our own time.”

“We’re technically supposed to be figuring out how to conduct fourth movement,” she corrects, but lets him keep praising her lips.

“It was his choice to put you as a drum major,” he says. “He knew this would probably happen.”

“He did not,” she argues, rubbing her legs against his. Her athletic shorts are ridden up her legs, but Percy certainly doesn’t seem to mind as he starts moving his hand against her hip. “I’m here because I deserve to be.”

“Everyone knows that.” His head drops back a little and bangs painfully against the cinderblock wall. She laughs at him. “If anyone asks what we’re doing in here, we were just discussing how to conduct the stand tunes.”

“With our mouths?” she muses.

“Exactly. I was showing you the arm movements… with my lips.” Percy seems to know just how bad that sounds. “Forget I said that.”

She snorts, twisting slightly to reach under her. She ends up pulling a brand-new wrapped reed from behind her. “You need this?” she asks, holding it up for him to see.

“That’s an oboe reed.”

“What’s it doing in the tuba practice room?”

“Someone probably dropped it while doing the same thing as us.” Percy snatches it from her fingers and tosses it over the pile of cases blocking their view of the door. “Shall we get back to business before someone actually does come find us?”

Annabeth nods and then bangs her head on the latch of a case, cursing in pain. Percy’s the one laughing now, so she tells him, “Never mind. I’m leaving.”

She goes to stand, but he pulls her back down onto him and then he’s cupping the sides of her face as he starts to kiss her again. She just lets him do it because she wanted it just as much, if not more.

After a week of band camp, she’s already loving her job. She gets to lead the team building exercises with Percy, which is more fun than she’d imagined it would be, and she gets to run the metronome while they were outside.

Whenever they were outside, Percy was usually across the field leading the group and Annabeth was sitting at the back messing with the metronome’s speaker, but then he would send her funny faces that made her feel all tingly and warm.

She kind of loved it.

And they always made up for time spent apart while the section leaders took over for sectionals by disappearing off to a practice room and showing each other just how much they’d missed the other. And because they were smart, they never went to the same place twice which gave them more time alone before they were found.

Dating the drum major certainly had its advantages. Especially if you were also drum major. Annabeth starts laughing into the kiss at that thought, and Percy pokes her stomach to get her to stop, but that just makes her laugh harder.

“Annabeth,” he whines. “We don’t have much time left so—”

The door swings open and they hear someone walk into the tiny space. Percy’s hand moves to cover her mouth, and she licks his hand to get him off, but he doesn’t budge.

“They’re not in here,” the person calls out to someone in the band room. Annabeth recognizes the voice as Rachel’s.

“Oh, please. I saw them walk in there together.” _And there was Piper_ , she notes. Footsteps move closer to the room and then Piper’s talking again, this time from in the practice room. “Move.”

Annabeth has to try really hard not to laugh as she hears Rachel practically thrown against the wall, and then Piper’s head is peering at them from over the stack of sousa cases.

“Found them,” she says, resting her elbows against the hard plastic of the cases. “They’re making out in the tuba room.”

“We were not,” Annabeth argues, but she doesn’t even try to escape his embrace. “We were discussing fourth movement.”

“With our mouths,” Percy adds on.

“I don’t know how either of you could talk with Percy’s tongue shoved halfway down your throat,” Piper says.

Rachel peeks over at them but then she disappears quickly and probably goes off to do throw a tantrum or something. She’d calmed down a little bit over the summer, but Percy and Rachel’s abandoned friendship would never stop being awkward.

“Band director’s looking for you two,” Piper tells them. “Leo and I made it our mission to find you before he did.”

“True friends,” Annabeth says.

“We are,” Leo chimes in, popping his head over the cases to stare at them. “Didn’t want our drum majors to get caught halfway to getting it on in the practice room.”

“I’m sure he’s caught people doing worse in these,” Piper says.

“Like you and Jason?” Leo taunts.

“Fuck you.”

Percy and Annabeth watch their interaction in amusement, glad the attention’s off of them. They’d leave the practice room, but they were stuck behind the cases now.

“I don’t get what he sees in you,” Leo continues. “You play piccolo now. Piccolo players are so annoying.”

Annabeth’s jaw dropped in indignation.

“They’re all ‘Look at me! I’m so awesome because I can _PlAy HiGh NoTeS_.’”

Piper just looks him up and down. “You stink,” is the only reply she can think of.

“Guys,” Percy says, interrupting their argument before someone dies. “As much as I’m loving this conversation, can you please help us out before Brunner sees?”

“Tell Leo he stinks first,” Piper says. “You don’t go to band camp and not wear deodorant! It’s gross.”

“You didn’t think it was gross when you sat on my lap this morning!”

“It was a team building activity! Everyone was sitting on each other’s laps!”

“Guys!” Percy says again, laughing. “Please help us. We’re stuck.”

Piper grumbles to herself but holds out a hand for Annabeth. Percy and Annabeth thought they were in the clear from anyone finding them, and he just about dies when someone else walks into the practice room.

“Jason!” Percy says, hand over his heart. “Nearly gave me a heart attack.”

Jason takes everything in, clearly gathering that his drum majors had just been cuddled up in the corner of the room. “What were you doing here?”

“Making out,” Leo says nonchalantly.

“That’s not allowed.” Jason frowns. “As brass captain, I have to let the band director know. It was in my job description.”

“As drum major, I have to let you know that no one likes a snark,” Percy counters, stepping over the cases after Annabeth.

“Not everyone’s going to like me as a leader, but they don’t have to,” Jason says, ready to retreat from the room. “It’s my duty to the band.”

“Not everyone’s going to like you but believe me when I say you want to be in the drum major’s good graces,” Percy says.

“He’s right,” Annabeth supports.

Jason doesn’t look too happy, but it appears as though he isn’t going to be tattling. “I think you two are bad influences.”

“Boohoo.” Percy snorts. “I have a joke for you.”

Leo hiccups, having heard Percy’s joke earlier.

“What?” Jason asks.

“How many trumpets does it take to change a lightbulb?”

Jason scratches his head. “How many?”

“None. They can’t get that high.” Percy pats Jason on the back. “Fix your second trumpets.”

“But— you’re our drum major! You can’t insult us like that!”

Piper bonks Jason on the head. “He can say whatever he wants _because_ he’s drum major.”

Jason just hmphs and looks at Annabeth. “I have one for you.”

“Oh boy,” she mutters. “What is it?”

“How many flutes does it take to change a lightbulb?”

“I don’t know,” she says. “How many?”

“Just one. They hold it up and the whole world revolves around them.”

Annabeth just starts laughing but Piper smacks Jason in the head again. Jason looks rightfully terrified, and he probably shouldn’t have said that joke with his painfully obvious crush in the room. Jason hightails it out of there, and Piper is on his ass, yelling at him.

“We should probably head back outside,” Percy says, wincing as he watches Jason get whacked with his own mouthpiece.

“Yeah,” Annabeth agrees, traumatized as she notices where Piper tells him to shove his trumpet. “Probably.”

* * *

Hours later, Annabeth is laying back on the grass, wondering how much longer she had until she could go home. She thinks the sunblock did nothing to protect her, and there are ant bites covering her ankles by this point.

She ended up stuck by the metronome again, changing the tempos whenever it was called for, which might’ve actually been the world’s most boring job.

Percy wasn’t up on the podium this time either, so she had no one to talk to, except the dragon fly that kept circling her head. Or maybe it was the heat making her hallucinate; she didn’t really know anymore.

She adjusts the hat that was over her face to block the sun from burning her eyes. Anyone looking at her would probably think she was dead. She might as well be since she had nothing to do.

At some point, she might has fallen asleep because next thing she knew, Percy was leaning over her, poking her cheek with her white hat that had been covering her face in hand.

“You good?” he asks, dropping the hat onto her stomach.

“I’m bored,” she mutters, closing her eyes.

“Well that’s nice.” Percy tugs on her ponytail. “I’ve been asking you to change the tempo for the past five minutes now.”

Annabeth shoots up, the metronome attached to the speaker in her hand. “You have?”

“I have,” he says, amused. “I didn’t even notice you were asleep until someone pointed out that you looked dead.”

She drops her head into her hands. “I’m sorry.”

“Brunner went inside half an hour ago so I’m running the block.”

“Shouldn’t you be over there doing something then?”

“I was, but then I thought my girlfriend passed out again. Had to go check on her,” he says jokingly. “Priorities, you know?”

“I’m awake now,” she says, pushing him away. “I’ll change the tempo.”

“Put it to 90,” he says. “And then come help me.”

She perks up. “With what?”

“We’re setting drill once Brunner comes back out so you can help with that. I’m sure the freshmen won’t know the front hash from the front sideline.”

“I can help with that!”

“I know,” he says, holding out a hand to help her up. As he looks over his shoulder, he says, “He’s back so come on.”

Annabeth grins, stumbling alongside him. He ended up being called over to a group of low brass kids who were fighting over their placement, so she was alone anyways as they started to piece together the beginning of the show.

As the next half hour went on, Annabeth was helping the woodwinds fix a curve and read their dot charts. It was much better than sitting around doing nothing, but it was like they didn’t listen to her words at all.

_(“Is this the front sideline?”_

_“No, that’s the front hash.”_

_“Oh, so then this is the front sideline?” the kid says, pointing to the exact same spot._

_Cue internal screaming.)_

She was focusing so hard on watching the group find their opening set that she didn’t even realize Percy was behind her until he was wrapping his arms around her waist and settling his head against her shoulder.

“Hey,” he whispers into her ear. “Are you a drum major? Cause you make all parts of me stand at attention.”

Annabeth chokes, covering her face from the band with the formation sheets. “We are in front of the entire band, Percy.”

“No one heard it,” he says, kissing her cheek. “No one’s even watching us. They’re too absorbed in their own worlds.”

“Mhm.” Annabeth turned in his arms. “Well, is that true?”

“The drum major thing?”

She nods, raising a teasing eyebrow.

Percy just takes it in stride. “Oh, for sure. Watching you help the underclassmen in those shorts?” He whistles, tickling her side. “Hot.”

“Watching me drip with sweat and kick my dirt-covered shoes at the ground until the fire ants fall off?” She copies his whistle. “Incredibly sexy.”

“Now you’re getting it,” he says, kissing her neck.

She squirms, subtly pushing his mouth off of her. “I’m not kidding when I say I’m sweating.”

“I’m all gross and sweaty too, so it’s okay.” He kisses her temple instead. “You look tired.”

“I’m downright exhausted. I could pass out right here.”

“In front of everyone? At least wait until later so we can cuddle.”

“Am I coming over to your place then?” she asks, eyes gleaming in amusement. “I don’t recall you asking me.”

“I thought that was a given.”

“Fine.” Annabeth bites her lip, smirking. “I have a pickup line for you.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Are you a fermata? Because I wanna hold you.”

“Oh goodness,” he says in mock disgust. “That was awful.”

She smiles and keeps going. “Are you a drum major? Because I’ve been watching you all day.”

“Lies. No one in this band watches the drum major.”

She sighs. “True.”

“Oh, I’ve got another,” Percy says, looking out to make sure the band was still working. “Do you play piccolo because I know you want a peek down below.”

“ _Perseus Jackson_.”

“I’m kidding!” he defends. “…sort of.”

“You light up my world like a piccolo lights up the sharp side of a tuner,” Annabeth says in return.

“That’s a good one!” he encourages. “Baby, call me drum major because you’ve seen what these hands can do.”

“I’d call you my drum major, but I actually want to look at you.”

“That’s next level,” he praises, glancing to the band that was getting antsy as they wait for instruction. “I love this very much, but can we continue this lovely exchange of pick-up lines later?”

“Fine,” she gives in. “I just have one more.”

“One more,” he relents, already backup up towards the rest of the band.

“Falling out of love with you is as hard as backwards marching in circles,” she says, smiling with pride.

“That would imply that you’re in love with me!” he calls out.

Annabeth reddens. “Is that so bad?”

“No.” He holds up a heart with his hands. “Because I’m probably in love with you too, sexy piccolo playing drum major.”

“Probably?”

“Definitely.” He blows her a kiss and then he’s off, laughing over her shoulder.

Annabeth just shakes her head fondly, turning around to help some of the woodwinds again.

They hadn’t been dating all that long— only about four months, so it was probably really quick to say that she was in love with him, but… the way she felt for him was so much more than just a simple crush.

He was her best friend, and it had happened so fast, but maybe that’s because they were meant to be and there was no point waiting for the inevitable.

And as she watches him nearly trip over someone’s baritone left on the ground, immediately turning to give her a thumbs up, she smiles.

Maybe being in love with him wasn’t a bad thing at all.

* * *

Annabeth had tried really hard not to think about it.

She and Percy were extremely happy together, and there was no reason to worry. That’s what she told herself anyways.

The reality was that maybe she did need to worry because he was going to be graduating that year and she’d be left alone, leading the band with someone else. Annabeth didn’t want to even think about how he’s going off to college and she’s not, about how he’s going to be meeting new people and she’s going to be sitting at home, hoping that he doesn’t decide that she’s not worth it.

There were still months away from graduation, so she had no reason to panic quite yet, but it being senior night, she was freaking out anyways.

“How does my crown look?” Percy asks her, adjusting it on his head.

“It looks like I made it,” she says, forcing herself to calm down.

“That might be because my beautiful girlfriend did make it, but I mean if it looks good with the uniform.”

Annabeth’s eyes trail up and down his body. The black drum major uniform really did fit well with his black senior crown. The silver sash matched the silver sparkles she added onto the crown for him, and everything complemented his green eyes. She was quite delighted with the way it turned out. He looked really good in her opinion, and the senior cord resting on his shoulder would’ve looked a lot nicer if it didn’t mean she would be alone the following year.

“It’s fine.”

Percy looks at her, concerned. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.”

“You look like you’re going to cry.” Percy sits next to her, and she can’t help but savor the way their uniforms matched, even though she’s about to burst into tears.

“I’m just proud of you.”

Percy coos at her, wrapping his arm around her waist and letting her settle her weight against him. “I love you,” he whispers into her ear before kissing her temple.

“I love you too,” she says. “You should probably go line up soon.”

“I will as soon as you tell me why you’re _actually_ upset.”

“I’m not upset,” she promises.

“Then what?”

“Just— sad.”

“Why?” He nudges her nose with his.

“You’re graduating this year and I’m going to be here all alone.”

“Oh, Annabeth.” Percy’s arm that’s wrapped around her moves to rub her back. He’s silent for a while before speaking. “I’m not even an hour away. I won’t be at school with you, but I’ll always be right there.”

“I know.” And she really does know that. She’s just scared that he’s going to realize he could do so much better than her. She doesn’t want to lose her best friend. She doesn’t want things to change.

“I’ll always be right next to you,” he says. “I’m not ever leaving you.”

Annabeth whimpers. “I know. Let’s not talk about this right now. It’s your night and you should enjoy it.”

“I want you to enjoy it too,” he says.

“I will.”

Percy looks at her, and because he can read her like an open book, he knows there’s something still bothering her. “I’ll drive you home after the game,” he says. “We’ll talk about this then.”

“Percy—”

“No, come on,” he interrupts in an attempt to distract her, pulling her to her feet. “Let’s go say hi to my mom.”

“I’m not allowed to leave the stands,” she says. “I’m not a senior.”

“I’ll just tell Brunner my mom wants to see you.” Percy keeps dragging her along, ignoring the protests from the others who were stuck in the stands. “He won’t say anything either way.”

For the rest of her night, Annabeth keeps a forced smile plastered onto her face. She let Percy be happy and be congratulated by his teachers and friends, simply hanging off to the side for the majority of the night. She managed not to bawl for the first half of the night.

She was doing so well until the halftime show.

They were marching onto the field, side by side, and then they’re giving the drum major salute as they’re asked if the band’s ready, and when she’s the one standing on the leading drum major’s stand, she loses it.

Tears are rolling down her face through the entire show, and when she looks at Percy, she thinks tears are rolling down his face, except he’s looking at her with so much pride and joy, knowing that she would be just fine next year without him.

And when she’s hopping off the leading podium, Percy’s already by her side, pulling her into a hug as she starts sobbing. It wasn’t even the last game of the year, or the actual graduation, but she’s already an emotional mess, and she just knows she’s going to be much worse as she watches him walk across the stage.

Percy doesn’t say anything about the tears. He simply dries them for her and holds her, understanding what words would never be able to describe.

They only get back to his house ten minutes before midnight, and Annabeth is exhausted. A night full of crying and conducting stand tunes was so much more energy-consuming than she would’ve thought.

The first thing Annabeth does when she and Percy get to his house is take a shower. The hot water soothed her aching muscles, so she stood there for a while under the running water, dreading having to get out. And when she finally did get out, Percy hopped in to rinse the dirt and sweat of a Friday night football game while Annabeth laid on his bed, one arm thrown lazily over her stomach and the other bent under her head, listening absent-mindedly to his one-year-old sister cry from somewhere in the living room.

She had been so distracted that she jumped when Percy sank down in the bed next to her, throwing his own arm haphazardly over her waist. He stays silent, and she appreciates the time he’s giving her to collect her thoughts.

Eventually though, he does break the silence. “What’s going on inside that big brain of yours?”

She turns onto her side to face him, tucking her leg between his. “I’m thinking about how tired I am.”

“Mh-hm.” Percy knocks on her forehead gently. “I’m sure you are tired, but I think there’s more than just that.”

“It’s stupid,” she admits, knowing there was no way she was getting out of this situation without telling him what was bothering her.

“Tell me anyways,” he says. “It’s because I’m a senior and you’re not?”

She sighs. “Yes and no.”

“Explain, please.”

“You’re going to college while I’m still in high school. Yes, I’m going to miss seeing you every day, but it’s just— There are lots of new people at college.”

“There are, but you’ll always be my favorite person.”

“You say that now, but chances are you’ll meet someone better than me. Someone who’s nicer or prettier or smarter, and… you’ll leave me.”

Percy sticks his lower lip out, wiping away the single tear falling down her cheek. “That’s not going to happen.”

“It might.”

“I might meet someone nice and pretty and smart, but they’ll never be _better_ than you. I’m not going to leave you.”

“You haven’t met them yet,” she mumbles. “You don’t know that.”

“I do know that,” he says. “You know how I know? You’re not just my girlfriend. You’re my best friend, and I’m pretty in love with you. I’m not going to leave you for some random stranger.”

She just swallows hard, blinking to stop the tearing up of her eyes.

“I promise you that you’re my forever, okay? I know it’s hard to listen to and just believe me when I say it, but I’m telling you that I’m not leaving you. Not now, and not ever.”

“I’m just some girl you met at band camp and became friends with.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit,” he says. “You are so much more to me than just a blonde piccolo player. You’re Annabeth— my best friend, my girlfriend, my future wife.”

“Future wife?”

“Mhm.” Percy sits up a tiny bit to look her directly in the eyes. “You’re not just a part of the band. You’re my family. Every single person in that group is my family.”

“Really?” she asks quietly.

“Really. But you and I especially—” Percy kisses the tip of her nose. “We’ll always be more than a band.”

“You promise?”

“I promise,” he says. “And next year when you graduate, I’ll be right there waiting for you with open arms. You can go to NYU with me, or you can go to Cornell, or wherever you want to go, and I will _still_ stay by your side.”

“I’m just so _scared—_ ”

“I know. You just have to believe me when I say I’m not going anywhere because,” Percy smiles gently, tucking a strand of damp hair behind her ear, “you and me? We’re forever.”

Annabeth sniffles, shuffling towards him to rest her head on his chest. His hands immediately rest on her waist. “You mean that?”

“I do,” he says.

“I love you,” she whispers against the skin of his neck.

“I love you too.”

Annabeth tilts her head up, and then she’s lost in the moment. Percy’s lips find hers and she never wants to pull away. So she doesn’t.

She presses her body against his, kissing him with as much love, passion, care, trust as she can. She can hardly breathe at this point, and then she’s tugging Percy’s shirt off. She can feel him against her, under her, but she just keeps kissing him.

Percy pulls back only once to ask, “Are you sure?”

And Annabeth feels loved because she knows he wants to make sure that she really wants this. He wants her to be sure that this is the right moment, that she feels ready to give herself to him. She does.

“I’m sure,” she says, and then her shirt’s flying off too.

As she lets herself get lost in the moment, lost in the passion, adoration, _love_ , she thinks to herself about his promise. His vow to stay by her side, to always find his way back to her. His promise of forever.

She really, _really_ likes the sound of forever.

* * *

Annabeth was right about graduation.

By the times it finally does roll around, she’s a sniveling mess. She has no idea how she even managed to make it through playing _Pomp and Circumstance_ because right now as she watches him stand up from his seat with the rest of his graduating class, it just gets worse.

Tears fall onto her black concert dress and Piper hands her a tissue. When the band goes to play another song, the piccolo tastes salty so she suspects some tears fell in there as well.

Aside from the fact that she’s going to miss him so much, she is so incredibly proud of him. He led the band through the last two years as drum major, and he was an active member for the years prior. He made the band into a family, and she didn’t know how they were going to continue on without him.

Piper was going to be drum major with her next year, so things would be okay. They would just never be the same, and Annabeth thinks that’s heartbreaking, but Percy thinks that it’s a good thing. He thinks that life doesn’t go without change, and that the band would change for the better. Without change, there would be no improvement.

And the more Annabeth thinks about it, the more she agrees. Change was sad, but it was an integral part of life. Percy wasn’t going to be missing the band; he was starting his future. He was going to become a music major at NYU and eventually become a band teacher himself.

His love for music was never going to disappear even if he was no longer in the place where it all began. Percy’s happy with the way things are, and although Annabeth’s sad he’s leaving, she’s so delighted that he’s going to be continuing on with what he loves.

Annabeth watches as he walks across the stage and gets handed his diploma, and she smiles through the tears. When he looks right at her from across the huge venue, she knows that they’ll be okay.

He loves her, and he’s never going to stop loving her because they’re always going to be more than just two members of a band.

* * *

**Year 4**

Annabeth shrugged on her senior sash over the drum major uniform, turning to Piper to fix her crown before she adjusted her senior cord over her left shoulder.

She could hardly believe that it was already her senior night. It felt like just yesterday when she was a blubbering mess at Percy’s senior night, and now it was her turn.

There was just one thing missing, leaving a gaping hole in her heart.

“Why isn’t Percy coming today?”

Annabeth shrugs, adjusting her hair under her silver senior crown. “He has a huge exam tomorrow and needed to study.”

“I’m sorry,” Piper said sympathetically. “If it makes you feel any better, Jason isn’t coming either.”

“Jason’s on the opposite side of the country and you two aren’t dating so that’s hardly the same thing,” she says. “But it’s fine.”

“I just— I find it so hard to believe that Percy wouldn’t be here for you.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Annabeth reassures, except _yes it was a big deal_. “It’s not like this is graduation.”

Piper runs her hand along her mouth, glancing over Annabeth’s shoulder for a split second before looking back at her. “He’d be an idiot not to be here.”

“He’s not an idiot,” she chides, shifting her weight to one foot.

“ _Exactly_.”

“Glad we settled that,” Annabeth says, snorting.

“Annabeth?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re so _fucking_ stupid.”

Annabeth looks up, alarmed. “ _Hey_!”

Piper threw her hands up, turning around. “I can’t do this anymore.”

Annabeth bit her tongue, staring at Piper weirdly until someone tapped her shoulder. Everything Piper was saying clicks into place as she sees who’s standing there.

Annabeth’s arms immediately shoot up to wrap around Percy’s neck, hugging him tightly as his arms wrapped around her waist. She actually starts crying a little bit as she looks up at him because she hadn’t seen him in over a month.

“You’re here,” she breathes, settling her head against his chest.

“Of course I’m here,” he says. “You seriously thought I’d miss your senior night?”

“I thought you had a test,” she says, sniffling.

“I do but I’ve been studying for it, so I’ll be fine.” Percy lifts her chin with two fingers and then Annabeth goes onto her the tips of her toes so that she can press a kiss to his lips, not pulling away until half the band is catcalling behind her.

“I missed you,” she says against his lips.

“I missed you too,” he says, kissing her forehead. “You look amazing. I’ve missed seeing you in that uniform.”

She shakes her head, unable to stop the widening grin. He was really here. “I love you.”

“I love you more,” he says, taking her hand and squeezing, reminding her of his promise.

His promise to always stay by her side. His promise to a future with her. His promise to a forever.

Her heart blooms.

* * *

When graduation rolls around, Annabeth’s practically bouncing up and down from her position in the crowd of students. She has no idea where Percy is in the graduation venue, but she knows he’s here.

Everything had turned out so much better than she could’ve ever imagined. The year had ended on an astounding note. Leading the band with Piper was a marvelous experience that she would forever be grateful for. And now knowing that she was going to be at NYU with Percy the next year made everything even better.

Somehow, four amazing years of her life came to a close the second she walked across that stage. Like the previous year, she somehow locks eyes with Percy among the thousands of people there, except this time she was the one with the diploma.

There was so much pride in his eyes, and she didn’t ever want to look away. But she did, because there was something else she needed to find.

Her eyes trail over to the entire band sitting in the back of the vicinity. It was a bittersweet moment. This was the band that had been her family for the past four years of her life. This was the band that gave her a new appreciation for everything the music world has to offer. This was the band that gave her friends she’d have for the rest of her life.

Annabeth met some of her best friends in that band. Her best memories took place inside of that band room with screaming percussionists and practice room trysts. That band room was her home for four years. She survived four years of band camp and daily after-school rehearsals there.

Band gave her so much to hold close and cherish, but the most important thing it gave her was him.

It felt like a lifetime ago that she met Percy on her first day of band camp. She can’t believe it that it was over two years ago that they shared their first kiss. She can’t believe that they made it this far.

In the blink of an eye, the ceremony is over and she’s running towards Percy’s open arms. They sway back and forth, and then he gives her a quick kiss before he’s looking at her earnestly.

“I’m so proud of you,” he says, beaming at her. “You did it!”

“ _We_ did it,” she says, breathless.

“I told you I’d be waiting here for you,” he says. “You’re my forever.”

“I’m not just some try-hard piccolo?”

“You’re so much more to me than just another band kid,” he says.

And he’s right.

Percy would always be the captain she fell in love with, and she’d always be the flute he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

_So much more than a band._

Percy holds his hand out to her. “Forever?”

Annabeth gives him a dazzling smile. _Their promise to each other_. “Forever.”

Without a second glance back, she takes his hand and takes a step into their future.

_Their promise. Their forever._

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted on fanfiction.net on 06/11/2020


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